Dwight Howard is one of the several NBA players Shaquille O’Neal has had bad blood with over the past few years. The two have publicly dissed each other for a while now. Shaq initially hated the fact that Howard tried to copy his schtick. Apart from being Orlando Magic’s #1 pick like O’Neal, Howard also nicknamed himself “Superman”. “Superman” was a nickname that Shaq originally earned during his rookie season. Clearly, the Diesel felt some type of way about Howard’s nickname. However, this long-lasting beef seems to be coming to an end from what the four-time NBA champion’s recent social media activity suggests.
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Dwight Howard was a pretty dominant force during his stint in the NBA. Unfortunately, the 6-feet-10 Center had no franchise interested in him during the 2022-2023 season. Thus, the 2020 NBA Champ decided to move to Taiwan’s T1 League to play for the Taoyuan Leopards. Shaq ended up publicly mocking Howard’s decision of playing overseas.
For a short while, the two kept going back and forth. In fact, Shaq made some jokes about Howard’s Taiwan stint on numerous platforms. But now things have started to seem much better with Shaq showering praises on Howard.
Shaquille O’Neal shares a reel praising Dwight Howard
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.”
In what is his own way of praising players, Shaq shared this post on his Instagram story. Take a look at the screenshot of the story on Tragicpatek’s tweet.
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.
Howard has invited several NBA players to Taiwan’s league
Despite the entire salary fiasco, Dwight Howard seems to be content with his time in East Asia. In his first season in Taiwan’s T1 League, he put up some incredible numbers – 23.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game.
Over the course of the 2022-2023 campaign, Howard sent out invites to numerous players to join him at the Taiwanese league, including Ja Morant, Jordan Poole, Julius Randle, Ben Simmons, Klay Thompson, DeAndre Ayton, and Chris Paul, among several others. In fact, after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2023 playoff loss, Howard even invited LeBron James along with his eldest son, Bronny, to play in Taiwan.
