Shaquille O’Neal has expressed his distaste for Dwight Howard on several occasions. It’s become such a regular occurrence that many have forgotten why this beef even began. Shannon Sharpe certainly doesn’t as he repeatedly questioned an oblivious Ochocinco on why Shaq is so mad at Howard all the time.
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“I don’t really get Shaq’s angle,” said Sharpe when talking about Dwight recently revealing he wanted to show up at TNT Studios after getting hated on multiple times by O’Neal.
“Dwight is not the player you were, we know that. You’re one of the most dominant, you’re one of the top players that’s ever played in the game. Your place in history is secure. I don’t get why you’re punching down,” continued Sharpe. He reiterated, “You’re about to have grandkids and you’re still punching down on somebody?”
Sharpe hit the nail on the head here. Shannon can’t seem to understand why the 4x champion continues to do this despite the various on and off court successes he’s had and rightfully so. While Shaq isn’t a grandfather as of yet, he’s certainly of that age. He has a litany of things he can focus on instead of constant negative quarrels with a fellow NBA great.
Yes, Shaq might feel as though Dwight stepped on his toes with the whole ‘Superman’ gimmick and the similarities in their careers with the Magic and the Lakers might have irked the former as well (not in Dwight’s control). But why punch down?
Fans have slowly begun to alter their perception of O’Neal and not think of him solely as a ‘jolly giant’. He’s repeatedly belittled Howard on a national stage without being provoked. Most recently the two got into it on X.
Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal get into a public spat
“The fact that you think I care about you is funny,” said Shaq in a recent tweet directed towards Howard. This led to quite the exchange between the two where the ‘Big Aristotle’ vowed to never mention his name again while Dwight called ‘cap’ on Shaq saying he doesn’t care.
I know you care. Cuz yo insecure ass been hating and talking shit for 20 years. You to big to be this insecure. I hope you don’t bring my name up again. 52 years old tweeting me. And still hating. Now all this time you was joking. You always been jealous. Jealous of Kobe,…
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) January 7, 2025
This is a mere glimpse into how much the two have bickered at one another. It’s come to a point where a physical altercation between them wouldn’t be all too surprising.
Dwight even challenged Shaq to a boxing match recently. In the midst of all the hoopla surrounding the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson bout, O’Neal revealed he wanted to organize an ‘NBA vs NFL’ boxing night with him and former New England Patriot, Gronk, headlining.
Dwight decided he wanted in on the action and tweeted at Shaq, asking him to fight him instead. This of course, led to a series of back and forths that led nowhere.
In a nutshell, it’s unclear why there is so much animosity between the two former Magic centers. It’s very possible for them to lead separate lives. Unfortunately, they seemed to be intertwined, something both Howard and fans alike have grown exhausted with.
