Shaquille O’Neal has been in a constant battle against modern big men. While he has praise for Nikola Jokic, many other bigs have received harsh words from Diesel. However, no one compares to the plight of former NBA star Dwight Howard. Their rivalry began well over 15 years ago. Its first instance came in the Dunk Contest when Howard wore Superman’s cape during the contest. Synonymous with Superman, Shaq was understandably upset. Since then, O’Neal has made it his mission to bash Howard every chance he gets. Now, out of the league, Howard is looking for a way back.

During his last few years in the league, Howard became more of a journeyman. The 8x NBA All-Star tried to find a meaningful role on various teams before finally moving to Taiwan last year on a reported $1 million contract. However, Howard wants to return home.

Dwight Howard returning to California?

The similarity between the two big men is evident. Both started off as stars in Orlando before making their way to the Los Angeles Lakers to play with Kobe Bryant. However, injuries robbed us of the Dwight-Kobe pairing, and as a result, Shaq had enough fuel to fire off his agenda. While Shaq has become nicer about it, there are times when he still goes off on DH. During the Lakers championship season in 2020, Howard was an integral part of the roster and his defense was a major reason for the Lakers’ success.

However, Dwight played his final game in the NBA in the 2021-2022 season. Since then, he has moved to the Taiwanese league where he has been utterly dominant, even taking part in their 3pt contest. With the continued success in Taiwan, most fans assumed that Howard had retired from the NBA.

In a recent interview, however, Howard denied those assumptions. Claiming that he hadn’t retired from the league, Dwight wished that he could get an opportunity again. Naming the rising Sacramento Kings as his destination, Howard even expressed interest in helping the team to its first championship. He said, “I’m not retired from the NBA just yet, and I would love to help the Sacramento Kings contend for a title.”

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With Sacramento’s primary flaw being defense, especially on the interior, a Dwight pairing might make sense for the team. With free agency to begin soon, the Kings could do worse than Dwight Howard as the backup center. They probably just have to make sure that Shaq isn’t watching. While O’Neal is known notoriously for going at centers such as Howard and Rudy Gobert, he does shower praise on the big men he likes. The 4x NBA champion is a huge admirer of the reigning Western Conference Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic.

Shaquille O’Neal with high praise for Nikola Jokic

The last big man that Shaq praised was probably himself. However, in a move that is unlike him, Diesel acknowledged the greatness of one Nikola Jokic. Shaq has been a big fan of the Joker, especially during this playoff run, and has continued to share his admiration for the Serbian.

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In addition to that, Shaq also inducted Jokic into the mythical Big Man Alliance that O’Neal keeps referring to. Another thing that Shaq and Howard would not agree on. When asked to choose between the Joker and himself, Dwight confidently said his own name, saying he would “dominate every time with a smile on my face.” Big words from the big man, let’s hope that Shaq doesn’t hear about them.