Shaquille O’Neal Throws JJ Redick a “Dare” to Choose Dwight Howard Over the 7ft Giant

That feud between Supermans isn’t going to simmer down any time soon. Shaquille O’Neal may have instigated something that could elicit a response from Dwight Howard. This went down when JJ Redick was on The Big Podcast. Now a seasoned media personality himself, Redick knew to press the right nerve by bringing up Orlando Magic’s storeyed history. He may have toed the line though as Shaq challenged him to say the unspeakable to his face.

A disagreement over the criteria over the NBA awards led to Shaq provoking Redick with, “So you probably got Dwight [Howard] over me as the Magic’s best big man ever. [Expletive] dare you to say it, dare you to say it.”

Redick couldn’t be dared into that trap no matter how much O’Neal tried. Yet in between all of that, Shaq said, “The best Orlando Magic big man ever, say it it’s only three – me, Dwight and Greg Kite.”

It’s understandably a tough choice for Redick. The sharpshooter started his NBA career alongside Howard in Orlando. On the other hand, Shaq was the first player to push a then very young franchise closest to the finals in his rookie career. He avoided a clear verdict by rightfully pointing out that comparisons overshadow other players like Tim Duncan who’s Orlando legacy deserves to be talked about too.

But Shaq’s own co-host, Adam Lefkoe nearly put his foot in the mouth when he blurted that Howard is statistically better than Shaq’s Orlando era. Shaq let that slight pass and let Redick get away with a non-answer too. But the rivalry continues.

DH12 is Voldemort to Shaq

Shaquille O’Neal went down in franchise history this year as the first player to have his number retired in Orlando. Dwight Howard congratulated him but also hinted that his #12 deserves to be alongside #32 too. “Congrats to Shaq,” Howard wrote on X. “One Superman down. Thank you Magic.”

Shaq and D-Howard are notorious for their feud. Very rarely does their rare moments of mutual respect get their acknowledgement. Shaq also admitted his harsh commentary on Howard comes from a place of admiration. He’s put his pride aside to hype Howard on multiple occasions, including pushing him for Team USA heading to the Paris Olympics.

Sometimes Shaq leans into the rivalry for the cameras. That made up a hilarious moment on NBA on TNT recently. His co-hosts built up the presence of the resident ‘Superman’ in the building who put Orlando on the map only to announce, “Dwight Howard! Superman is in the building!” That made Shaq stage a walk-off reality show style. But it was a joke and he wasn’t really upset.

Now that Howard is a podcaster himself, he needs to respond to Shaq’s little provocation. Or get a straight answer out of Redick.