Shaquille O’Neal Puts Aside Years Of Bullying To Finally Give Dwight Howard His Flowers

Shaquille O’Neal has been hating on Howard for quite a while now. However, this past week, the Diesel has started displaying some love for the 37-year-old on social media. Initially, the Los Angeles Lakers legend posted on Threads, lauding the greatness of a “young Dwight (Howard)”. Now, the 51-year-old has shared a reel on his Instagram stories that gives a brief breakdown of Howard’s 18-year career in the NBA.

The clip posted by @sportsorigingstories spoke about Howard being a dominant force in the league. After revealing his career splits, the clip further touched upon the big man being an elite defender. Finally, the reel went on to list a few of Howard’s impressive achievements. Lastly, Howard’s contributions during his stint with the Orlando Magic were highlighted. The clip narrated a few riveting details:

“Dwight Howard, a player who dominated the NBA with his rebounding and shot-blocking prowess. With career averages of 16.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, Howard was a force to be reckoned with on the court…Despite never winning an NBA Championship with the Magic, his dominance on the defensive end and his rebounding prowess have earned him a place among the greats of the game.”

Dwight Howard was one of the most feared Centers of the 2000s and early 2010s. As mentioned in the clip, Howard could assert his command over the paint. While fans and analysts are often in splits when talking about his Hall-Of-Fame candidacy, no one can deny that he caused havoc on the defensive end for the majority of his career.

It’s quite refreshing to see Shaq show love to Dwight as the two have had an icy relationship for years on end. Everything from them sharing the ‘Superman’ moniker to Shaq constantly belittling Dwight’s accomplishments, even poking fun at him for joining Taiwan’s T1 league, they haven’t been on the best of terms.