After his elimination from the DWTS, Dwight Howard wants to feel competitive again. Even though the offer from any NBA team is not on the cards yet, the former champion decided to call out his ‘Kryptonite.’ Howard wrote on his X, “Shaq wassup 🥊 let’s make bread 😂” and clarified the reason for not tagging Shaq. “I’m blocked lol,” he stated. All this was in response to Shaquille O’Neal and NFL pro-Rob Gronkowski suggesting an NBA vs. NFL celebrity showdown. So, did Shaquille O’Neal unblock DH12 and accept the fight?

Despite being blocked, it seems Shaquille O’Neal has reversed that decision and spoke about the possibility of the fight, “Gotta have more than one ring to get in the ring with me, I’ll stick with a real champion like @RobGronkowski , and you can have the Superman belt, all yours buddy.” Although DJ Diesel took his sweet time to reply, Dwight Howard was quick in response, which also echoed the fans’ sentiment.

“My bad I didn’t read the rulebook 🦆,” wrote Howard. The sarcastic tone and the duck at the end were enough for netizens to have a field day. This could stem from the behavior of Shaquille O’Neal, who during the recent episode of ‘Inside the NBA’ did not acknowledge Dwight Howard.

As Ernie Johnson led the “EJ’s Neat-O Stat of the Night” segment, Shaq faced the ultimate trivia test, as he had to name the Orlando Magic’s all-time leading scorer. The answer wasn’t quick, in fact, Shaquille O’Neal did not even utter a word. He just held up his answer, written on a card—Dwight Howard.

In public opinion, Dwight Howard takes the ‘hero’ spot over Shaquille O’Neal

In January, the Lakers legend replied to the 3x DPOY and made it clear the rivalry won’t end. “Nope lol,” this was the response to the question, “I never had a problem with you so can we finally end this as adults 💯.” Fast forward to November, it seems Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t want the fight. Echoing the same, one fan wrote, “Wow Shaq scared is crazy.”

Previously, the Big Aristotle also took a jab at the performance of Dwight Howard during the spell with Taoyuan Leopards. The remarks on his Big Podcast also were filled with sarcasm, “He’s supposed to have 30 points playing against a dude 5’8″… Good job. This league reminds me of the Lifetime Fitness league every Saturday when I go work out on Saturday. Great job, Dwight. I’m proud of you.” So, after, multiple back-and-forths and Shaq’s disapproval of the fight, one fan already made up their mind. “He just duckin smoke 😂😂😭😭”

Another fan was just tired of personal attacks from Shaquille O’Neal, rather than taking this as banter, “Man Shaq, this man can’t even joke with you. I don’t get this disdain Shaq has towards Dwight!!!!” However, there were plenty more fans who sided with DH12 despite him having fewer rings. This fan wrote, “Shaq gets more and more embarrassing by the day 😢.”

Just like Shaquille O’Neal used his rings to flex on Charles Barkley and end the debate, he did the same with Dwight Howard. “Shaq knows he would lose so he brings up the ring counts 😂,” wrote this X user. Will Shaquille O’Neal or DH12 finally stop their fight? Or will they end up in the ring?