In a segment on the “BIG” podcast, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal spoke up on his long-time rivalry with Dwight Howard. While he denied any hatred towards the man, he did reveal that he had high expectations for his game.
“All I said about young fella was that he needs to average 28 and 15. I don’t know how they got the ‘he don’t like me’ but that has nothing to do with it. Il telling you how to get to Superman status, this is all you gotta do every time, “ said Shaq. “So I kinda had to leave him alone. I had to stay off him.”
It’s no secret that Dwight looked up to Shaq early in his career and he even took up the legendary “Superman” nickname for himself when he began his ascent into stardom. But even as Howard was making strides on the court, O’Neal was never impressed and he made it known everywhere he could.
For the rest of his career, and even into retirement, Shaq remained a constant critic of Dwight, who failed to measure up to his standards in more ways than one. Even during his prime days with the Magic, when he was averaging 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game on 59% shooting, he was never on the Shaq’s level and it’s something the Diesel will never let him forget. To this day, Shaw has never truly embraced the former star big man and he continues to take shots at his career to this day. In Shaq’s mind, his tough love approach was just a way to bring the best out of Dwight and challenge him to achieve greatness just as he did many years ago. But clearly, the approach did not work and their relationship was never the same again.
Dwight Howard Is Ready To Bury The Hatchet
Nobody knows how it began, but there are a few guesses as to what may have triggered the rivalry. Dwight believes it has to do with the Superman nickname that he incorporated as a young rising star. It was a name that Shaq was once called in his prime and anyone who decides to share that nickname is at risk of being exposed to his judgment.
According to Howard, he never had any personal problems with Shaq and he was actually a big fan of his game growing up. But after O’Neal mistakenly believed Dwight was trying to copy his style, things soured between the two.
Today, while the beef is still very much alive, Dwight is starting a new mission to end the rivalry with Shaq and bury the hatchet once and for all. The 8x All-Star has already publicly called on O’Neal to “squash” their beef and it seems the ball is in his court now to determine how this situation develops.
At this point, after all this time, it’s unlikely that Shaq will ever apologize or go back on how word but it’s not too late for reconciliation and Dwight is determined to make it happen one way or another. While his career is over now, it would still be a massive win for Dwight to win over the approval of an NBA legend like Shaq and make peace with a guy who has been so critical of his game for years.
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