Clashes on and off the court are nothing new in the NBA, and Kevin Durant’s long-running feud with former teammate Kendrick Perkins is proof of that. Their back-and-forth dates all the way back to 2016, with no signs of slowing down. Recently, Durant was caught off guard by comments from Kendrick Perkins, about their time together on the Oklahoma City Thunder. But just when things seemed to settle, Dwight Howard jumped into the conversation on X, taking this to a whole new level.

Durant and Perkins shared the court in Oklahoma City from the 2010-11 season until midway through 2014-15. But since then, their relationship has been anything but smooth. One of their biggest rifts came after Durant’s controversial decision to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016, right after the Thunder fell to them in the Western Conference Finals. The tension escalated again when Perkins, during an appearance on NBA Today, claimed he was the one leading the Thunder. That didn’t sit well with Durant, who wasted no time firing back on social media. “I know this may be a reach but this comment is by far the craziest s–t I’ve seen this week,” he wrote. But just when it seemed like another classic Durant-Perkins exchange, Dwight Howard stepped in. His post on X made one thing clear, he’s not siding with Durant on this one.

Howard couldn’t resist jumping into the conversation. Quoting Durant’s post, he wrote, “Chill KD you gotta hear what perk saying 😂”. This added a lighthearted but pointed take on the situation. With that single post, Howard made it clear that he wasn’t fully backing Durant. Instead, he seemed to suggest that Perkins’ comments deserved a fair listen. Now, the debate isn’t just between Durant and Perkins. It’s turning into a full-blown NBA Twitter moment.

From the X post, one thing is clear, this is not going to end very soon. While Durant and Perkins have their own long-standing feud, Dwight Howard isn’t new to NBA beef either. He’s been locked in a back-and-forth with 15-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal for years. Recently, Howard has stepped up to address the situation and revealed what really sparked the tension between him and Shaq.

Dwight Howard on feud with Shaquille O’Neal

The feud between Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal traces back to one thing, the “Superman” nickname. Shaq made the moniker iconic during his career, but when Howard adopted it, the tension between them started brewing. Howard recently shared that he tried to squash the beef while competing on Dancing with the Stars last year. But despite his efforts, the feud never truly ended.

Speaking on the 7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast, Howard finally revealed what pushed him to fire back at Shaq. “A code.” That’s right. The whole issue, according to Howard, stemmed from Shaq breaking an unwritten NBA rule.

Howard explained that players can critique each other, good or bad, but not in front of the cameras. Public criticism, he believes, affects players’ personal lives. Using Carmelo Anthony as an example, he said, “If it’s public, I’m not going to get out here and bash you or talk negative about you, because you have a life to live. And words hold power. So I don’t do that.” 

To Howard, Shaq crossed the line by not following this code. However, he also made one thing clear: he’s never had a disrespectful conversation with Shaq. Instead of fueling the rivalry, Howard seems more interested in letting go of the tension. Let’s see where it ends!