It’s no secret that Shaquille O’Neal has a long history of taking shots at Dwight Howard. But the latest jab? On The Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal reignited his old feud when the conversation turned to the 2020 Lakers team that claimed the NBA title. While breaking down their roster, Shaq didn’t hold back, labeling Howard “a bus driver” for his contributions to the championship. Naturally, Howard wasn’t going to let that one slide.

Dwight Howard decided to clap back, and he chose X to do it. The former Lakers center shared a screenshot of Shaq’s episode titled, “Shaq Sends a Message to the Lakers & Dwight Howard…”. And he fired off a playful response: “lol stop sending messages Shaq 🦆.”

But why does Shaq see Howard as a “bus driver”? It all began when O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube’s son) suggested it wasn’t fair for the Lakers to dismantle the championship-winning roster. Mentioning Howard seemed to strike a nerve with Shaq, who unleashed his thoughts: “He’s a bus rider… JaVale McGee, he gets my respect. But that other motherf****s bus riders… On some people, he can pull that, ‘Oh, I got a championship.’ Not with the motherf****g Don Dada. He can’t pull that s*t with me.”

Now, let’s be real—Howard wasn’t the star he once was during his second stint in Los Angeles. By then, he had transitioned into a role player, known for his defense, rebounding, and physicality. Coming off the bench, Howard played 69 regular-season games, averaging 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. While his playoff stats dipped further, his gritty play was a crucial piece of the Lakers’ 2020 title puzzle.

Despite Shaq’s harsh criticism, Howard’s legacy speaks for itself—a dominant big man and now an NBA champion. However, Howard wasn’t done throwing shade. And he wrapped up his comeback with another jab.

Dwight Howard pulled out clown emoji to reply to Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard stole the spotlight during the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight. While Shaq was hyping up the idea of an NBA vs. NFL showdown, Howard decided to jump into the fun. “Shaq wassup 🥊 let’s make bread 😂,” he posted on X, challenging Big Diesel to step into the ring. Shaq’s reply? A classic roast: “Gotta have more than one ring to get in the ring with me.”

But instead of taking the challenge seriously, Shaq quickly shifted focus. He set his sights on NFL star Rob Gronkowski, leaving Howard out of the picture entirely. To rub it in, Shaq mockingly awarded the “Superman belt” to Howard. Still, Howard didn’t lose his cool, joking that he didn’t bother to read the fantasy matchup’s “rulebook.” But the banter didn’t stop there.

Replying to him, Shaquille O’Neal explained Howard’s misstep with a grin: “If you woulda read it, noticed it says NBA vs NFL. You can box an NFL guy first, and if you win, then you get the Jones of the big man… U wait til I’m fifty to challenge me, that’s funny!” He didn’t stop there, adding, “Join the show and let’s whoop some NFL guys. Make it to the Hall of Fame first, then we’ll do it.”

Howard replied, writing “Fair”. But now again, he shared that conversation on X with a clown emoji. Why? Dwight might actually get his Hall of Fame nod next year. The real question now is: Will Shaq follow through on his words if Howard’s name makes it to the Hall?