Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard have a longstanding beef that started over the latter pulling off a Superman dunk. Back in 2008, Howard rolled up to the All-Star Dunk contest wearing a Superman costume. Shaq, who has always been proud of his Superman title and even has a tattoo of the character, has brought up this incident multiple times over the years. Regardless, it finally appears as if Shaq has moved past the beef as he recently shared an Instagram reel in which fellow legend Dwyane Wade explains exactly why Howard also deserved to be in the NBA 75th Anniversary team.
Advertisement
O’Neal’s post comes as a surprise. Only recently, he had criticized Dwight Howard and Taoyuan Leopards for having a losing record, according to Sports Illustrated. Shaq had claimed that Howard was supposed to be averaging 30 points per game, something he had failed to do. Regardless, it seems as if O’Neal still respects what Dwight brought to the league, despite their beef.
Dwyane Wade believes Dwight Howard should have been a Top-75 player
Dwight Howard was the only obvious star in the Orlando Magic team that went all the way to the NBA Finals in 2009. They ended up losing to the LA Lakers, but Howard had already established himself as one of the top Centers in the NBA.
Speaking on the Shay Shay podcast, Dwyane Wade explained that Howard’s career warranted a place in the NBA Top-75 team. He claimed that the list was subjective, but Howard deserved to be there “1000 Percent”:
“1000 Percent. I really don’t understand. I know a lot of people have a lot of things to say about Dwight Howard, his personality or whatever people like to take a shot at. But when it comes to that man’s actual work, his body of work, it’s undeniable. He took that team to the Finals. You can pick a lot of guys to be on this team, it’s all subjective. But when you’re talking about this generation, these last 25 years, how many names can you think of where Dwight Howard is not in there?”
Beyond his 9 All-Star selections, Howard’s remarkable achievements also include an impressive 3-time win of the DPOY award. One of the significant highlights was the 2009 Orlando Magic’s postseason run, during which Howard’s team overcame LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers.
Wade’s comments stay in line with Howard’s own response to the 75th Anniversary team, according to SI. The 2020 NBA champion had claimed that his non-inclusion was utterly disrespectful and that he was surprised when he saw the list.
Shaquille O’Neal only recently praised Dwight Howard for his NBA contribution
O’Neal seems to be finally inching closer to solving his beef with Dwight Howard. Recently, Shaq posted an Instagram story praising Howard’s achievements in the NBA.
He shared a clip posted by sportsorigingstories that talked about Howard’s domination in the NBA. The clip claimed that Dwight is one of the best rebounders and shot-blockers that the modern NBA saw.
The clip claimed that Howard’s unique skills had led to him being counted as one of the bonafide greats of the game. While true, Shaq had never before publicly posted such high praise for the 2020 NBA champion.
