Relishing in Glory Despite Early NBA Exit, Shaquille O?Neal?s Enemy Has a Message for Rookie Victor Wembanyama

The debate of who’s the greatest big in NBA history is a never-ending one. While the influence of big men has waned over the years, 19-year-old French Sensation Victor Wembanyama’s entry into the league has reignited hopes. The 7’4 tall star has already been compared to some of the greatest NBA centers of all time, including an 8x All-Star who has locked horns with Shaquille O’Neal on several occasions. The former Orlando Magic star gave his take on the debate.

The man in question has won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards and was also considered the best center in the league about a decade ago. He has got reasons to believe that he was the better ballplayer in his younger days.

NBA Veteran vouches for Shaquille O’Neal’s enemy

After failing to land a good enough deal in the NBA, Dwight Howard headed off to Taiwan to feature for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. While he dominated on most nights, his team didn’t achieve much success in his 1 year there. The 37-year-old recently uploaded a clip on Instagram where a couple of former NBA stars explained why Howard was the better man at 19 years of age when compared to Victor Wembanyama.

Howard’s former teammate, Jameer Nelson said, “I’m taking Dwight. I don’t understand Dwight and how he’s not a top 75 player of all time.” Richard Jefferson followed suit and claimed, “People do not realize what Dwight is. He’s one of the most physically gifted humans that has ever walked the face of the f–king planet.”

Nelson added, “And the dude ate Popeyes all day and the dude at one point wasn’t eating fruit he wasn’t eating. He was arguably number 1 or number two in terms of the face of the league… Like to me it was like, ‘This dude is special.'”?

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It’s quite evident that Howard knows what he brings to the table and shared the clip on his social media handle. He wrote, “It gotta be a reason everyone comparing future great bigs to ?Dwight Howard? I must?ve set the bar that high.” However, he advised Wemby to ignore the media and focus on being his best version.

While Howard received big praise from former NBA stars, that isn’t the case when Shaquille O’Neal is involved.

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard’s long-standing feud

Shaquille O’Neal was famously known as the Superman in the league. Dwight Howard once wore a Superman jersey for a slam dunk contest and Shaq was not a fan of the same. Since then, the equation between the two has been awful. Shaq even failed to acknowledge Howard as the best big man in the league back in 2012, when Dwight was evidently dominating the league. He also bashed Dwight publicly in many interviews.

The relationship between the two seems to be getting better as Shaq, a few months back, gave Howard some massive props. On getting asked who he thought could dunk like him in the modern day, he answered that Howard, in his younger days, could match his physical prowess.

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It’ll be interesting to see if we ever see Dwight back in the NBA again. With age being against him, it seems highly unlikely currently. But never say never. What are your thoughts on a 19-year-old Howard being preferred over Wembanyama? Let us know in the comments below.