Dwight Howard Reacts to Shaquille O’Neal Not Mentioning His Name on Inside the NBA Despite Charles Barkley’s Attempts to Bait Him

Thursday’s edition of Inside the NBA was notably missing its usual host. Ernie Johnson, who usually keeps the rest of the group on track throughout the show, was feeling under the weather. Charles Barkley took advantage of his absence and tried to spark up some beef with Shaquille O’Neal.

With Adam Lefkoe hosting, the show became lax. Chuck jumped on the opportunity. He attempted to get Shaq to say Dwight Howard’s name. Barkley first named O’Neal as the third-best Lakers center, an arguable but respectable assertion, considering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s and Wilt Chamberlain’s contributions to the team.

However, Chuck’s next comment clearly aimed to strike a chord with the Diesel. “You’re like the second-best Orlando Magic center after Dwight [Howard],” Barkley said in a serious tone. This prompted a quick tangent from Shaq, who made sure not to use Howard’s name in the process.

“I’ve got more rings than you and [Dwight Howard] combined. And Wilt. I got more rings than all of y’all,” Shaq responded. The four-time champion was still able to get his point across without uttering Howard’s name, which he swore in a January tweet that he would never say out loud again.

Howard later reacted to the clip, commending O’Neal for keeping his word despite Barkley’s attempts to bait him. This interaction simply adds to what has been a long-standing tension between the two former superstar big men.

Shaq and Dwight’s beef had been radio-silent until recently

Shaquille O’Neal has been throwing jabs at Dwight Howard since the latter was still playing for the Magic in the early 2010s. They have had several public spats over the years, taking their arguments to X in recent years.

The two once again went at it just after 2025 tipped off, with Shaq claiming it’s hilarious that Howard thinks he cares about him or his opinions.

“Still don’t care nice move I see what you doing, your legacy is your new podcast that’s how u will be remembered and u need views, dam I taught you well, great job hall of fame podcaster,” Shaq posted in his closing argument. “But still don’t care.” 

This was the last of the pair’s beef until Barkley attempted to reignite it Thursday. For now, Shaq has stuck to his promise that he’d never say Howard’s name again. But knowing Chuck’s ability to get under O’Neal’s skin, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the 15-time All-Star slip up eventually.