Shaquille O’Neal has never shied away from feuds, and one of the most memorable has been his long-standing rivalry with Dwight Howard. The “Superman” nickname alone sparked years of tension between the two. But recently, Howard seems to have reignited the possibility of more drama—not with Shaq directly, but by siding with someone Shaq’s had a rocky history with: Stan Van Gundy. By praising his former coach, Howard might just be throwing fuel on the fire in a way that Shaq won’t be thrilled about.

On his Above The Rim with DH 12 podcast, Howard reflected on his time playing under Van Gundy. Stan was the head coach of the Orlando Magic from 2007 to 2012, leading them to the NBA Finals in 2009. “I don’t think Stan was a bad coach,” Howard said bluntly. He went on to credit Van Gundy’s intense training methods, which often pushed players to their limits in practice. According to Howard, Van Gundy had the right idea: “If we went so hard in practice, then the games were going to be easy.”

Then why did Van Gundy fail? “The problem was the fact that we was playing 82 games a year,” Howard said, suggesting that the long NBA season combined with Van Gundy’s demanding training style eventually wore players down. The push for intensity, while effective, didn’t account for longevity, which Howard now sees as a crucial piece that was missing.

However, Howard’s praise on the podcast certainly won’t sit well with Shaquille O’Neal, who had a completely different experience with the coach. Their feud dates back to 2009 when Shaq, playing for the Phoenix Suns, had a run-in with Van Gundy’s Orlando Magic.

After Van Gundy accused Shaq of flopping during a game, Shaq shot back, “Flopping to me is doing it more than one time. I realized that the play reminded me of his whole coaching career.” Interestingly, Stan Van Gundy seemed to wear Shaq’s critique as a badge of honor. But why?

Stan Van Gundy on Shaquille O’Neal’s critique

According to ESPN, Van Gundy said that he was unaware of any problems with Shaquille O’Neal when they were together in Miami. He shared, “Whatever. I don’t know… that’s his estimation of my coaching. I’m not going to worry about it too much.” During the 2004-05 season, Van Gindy led Miami to the East’s best record. But after a rough start in the following season, the organization fired Van Gundy.

Interestingly, Van Gundy has a light-hearted view of Shaq’s criticism. “Actually, that puts me in very good company,” he stated, noting that Shaq had also taken shots at coaching legends Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. “Maybe I should consider it an honor,” he added, taking the high road while joining a prestigious list of coaches who have endured Shaq’s jabs.

On the other hand, Dwight Howard has nothing but respect for Van Gundy. On his Above The Rim with DH 12 podcast, Howard expressed his gratitude, calling Van Gundy the best coach he’s ever had. “We had our best success together, so I can’t say there was any other coach who was better than him,” Howard remarked.

However, Van Gundy and Howard also once had a feud. But as per Howard, it was largely because of misinformation. “It’s very unfortunate… both of us were getting told and fed lies on both sides,” Howard explained. Despite the media noise, he emphasized that the “eight great years” they spent together could never fade.