Over the years, Shaquille O’Neal has had infamous beefs – some of them with his teammates. Kobe Bryant and Penny Hardaway’s names are at the top of the list. But those were during their playing days. The one that has carried over long past his retirement has been with none other than Big Dwight Howard. The back and forth was at its peak just a few months ago, and it seemed it would die down after Shaq’s promise. But that isn’t the case. Many have speculated about the reason for the beef between the two Bigs, with the most recent addition being Rashad McCants.

On Dwight Howard’s podcast, McCants spoke about the Dunk contest where DH-12 had the Superman gimmick, saying, “After that, you can see that Shaq was threatened by someone coming up and having a similarity to him and being compared to him.”

He further analyzed, “And for the audacity on Shaq’s side for that to be even a possibility is threatening. Because ‘I’m so dominant, I’m so far ahead of the Wilt’s (Chamberlain) and the Bill’s (Russell) they could never fu– with me.'”

As per the former Tar Heels alum, Dwight Howard’s explosivity and ability to dunk on people could be the reason for Shaquille O’Neal’s insecurity. The former guard continued, “‘Then you got this kid coming in and he going to the same team I’m on and this motherfu–er can jump out the gym more than I could. Block probably better than I do, man! If he get to about 320, he might be real Shaq.”

So, the threatening part was more of an admiration from the Lakers’ legend towards the potential ability of 3x DPOY. Before their beef, the two did get along; in fact, Shaq had stated speaking to Dwight Howard on many occasions. But things took a turn after the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

In an audacious move, Howard appeared for the contest in a Superman t-shirt while wearing a cape. And as he won the Slam Dunk Contest, multiple articles back then mentioned him as Superman. This did not go down well with the 4x NBA champion, Shaq, and the soured relationship still continues today.

Shaquille O’Neal once again took a shot at Dwight Howard

The LSU alum previously stated that he won’t mention DH-12 ever again, suggesting that he is tired of the beef. “The fact u think I care about u is funny… Won’t ever say your name again ever again.” But just recently during a segment on Inside the NBA, the Big Aristotle couldn’t control to take a shot as Charles Barkley brought up the best centers in Shaq’s former teams.

While ranking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain above Shaq among Lakers greats, Barkley then jokingly placed Howard ahead of Shaq in Orlando’s history. It was enough for Shaquille O’Neal to chime in “Hey, but I’ve got more rings than you and [Dwight Howard] combined. And Wilt. I’ve got more rings than all of y’all.” Seeing Shaq speak about DH-12, the former Magic star gave a sarcastic reply.

After Shaquille O’Neal’s latest dig, Dwight Howard sent a sarcastic message reminding the Lakers legend about his broken promise. “Glad you kept your promise 🤌🏾”, he said cheekily. In the past, Howard even claimed that he had made multiple attempts to resolve the issue between the two. But it seems like for Shaq and Howard, the bad blood is far from over. What are you thoughts on this feud?