Unearthing a long-standing beef between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, there was an incident back in 2008 that set this entire thing off. Although the two were never teammates, it all started when Dwight attempted and landed a Superman dunk in 2008’s All-Star Dunk competition while draped in a Superman T-shirt and a red cape. It also did not help that he won the Slum Dunk title that year. This did not sit right with Shaq, who has brought up this incident several times over the years.
So why was Shaq unhappy about this? Well, we are aware that he always held his Superman title in high regard and even got a tattoo of the hero’s symbol on his arm. And so, he was not happy when Dwight came and usurped his nickname. Nevertheless, it seems like Shaq has finally put the beef behind him as he has nothing but praise for his former frenemy.
Shaq expresses his love for Dwight
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It appears as if the Big Shamrock finally gives his long-due appreciation to Dwight for his achievement. In a recent appearance in The Point Podcast, Shaq puts the beef to bed and admits, “He did something I couldn’t do. I wish I could jump that high.” The big man further clears the air by adding that there is nothing but love for Dwight. “I love Dwight, a lot of people don’t know. This my first time saying it,” Shaq says. This is a huge thing coming from Shaq, who had taken every chance he got to criticize Howard over the years.
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For instance, when Dwight made his Toayuan Leopards (T1 League in Taiwan) debut in November 2022 with 38 points and 28 rebounds, Shaq downplayed his achievement by saying, “You should never be complimented for being a good father because that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? He’s supposed to have 30 points playing against dudes 5’8.” After everything that happened, it is heartwarming to see that Shaq has finally moved past it. Howard, on the other hand, never wanted a beef with him in the first place.
Let’s end the beef
Dwight made an appearance in an interview with Michelle Beadle for Run It Back in May of 2023. It was here that we saw his take on the whole beef situation with Shaq. Dwight told Michelle, “For years I said it, I don’t have any beef with Shaq…I don’t have no beef with anyone. The ‘me and Shaq’ thing, I don’t know what it is.” He further says that he will do whatever it takes- going to dinner with Shaq or coming to the show and having a hearty discussion – to straighten things out.
“We gettin’ older… let’s squash whatever beef we got” – @DwightHoward@SHAQ, what do you say? ❤️#RunItBack with @ShamsCharania @MichelleDBeadle @ChandlerParsons & @bansky pic.twitter.com/fFE9vnLiaZ
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) May 24, 2023
Dwight’s only message for Shaq was, “We gettin’ old, man. Let’s squash whatever beef we got, whatever it is, and just keep it pushing.” Now that both sides are willing to move forward, the cherry on top would be to see the two interacting after everything that has happened.
What is the craziest beef among NBA stars you’ve heard of? Let us know in the comments below!
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