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“LA Shaquille O’Neal, The Most Dominant Center”: Dwight Howard, Despite Spats With 4x Champ, Picks Him In His ‘Unusual’ All-Time 5

Rishabh Bhatnagar
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"LA Shaquille O'Neal, The Most Dominant Center": Dwight Howard, Despite Spats With 4x Champ, Picks Him In His 'Unusual' All-Time 5

The 2020 NBA champion Dwight Howard has had his fair share of spats with Shaquille O’Neal. It all started when Dwight once used Shaq’s nickname “The Superman” during a dunk contest, leading to some hilarious comments over the years. O’Neal had recently made fun of Dwight Howard for not averaging 30 points and having a winning record in Taiwan. Despite this, Howard recently posted a video on Instagram in which he called O’Neal the most dominant center of all time. Initially shared by Inspiredbyhoops, Howard, posted the clip on his official account and talked about his all-time best team.

Howard and Shaq might have been at odds in the past. However, despite some harsh comments especially from O’Neal, the two seem to have moved on from their feud, in recent months. O’Neal had recently shared a video talking about how Howard should have been in the NBA 75th Anniversary team. Now, Howard shared a clip calling the Lakers legend the most dominant center of all time. 

Dwight Howard posts a video calling Shaquille O’Neal the most dominant center of all time

Howard was in the middle of building his all-time best team. He claimed that he would go with big men, and thought that his starting 5 could not be beaten at all.

Dwight had included himself, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O’Neal in the team. He also claimed that Shaq was the most dominant Center of the NBA during his time with the Lakers, and wanted to know if anyone could stop his team:

“I am going with big men. Me, Shaq, Kareem, Wilt, and Hakeem Olajuwon. You all gonna have to find out a way to beat this team. We talk about Orlando Dwight, We talk about LA Shaq, the most dominant center. Who’s stopping them? I will wait.”

 

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A post shared by Dwight Howard (@dwighthoward)

Needless to say, the comment comes as a surprise especially because of the kind of back-and-forth Shaq and Howard have been involved in, over the years. Shaq only recently seemed to accept that Howard was also a remarkable player during his time and one of the best rebounders the NBA ever saw

Still, the team Howard ended up with might have a difficult time containing modern attackers, especially three-point shooters such as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. While traditional centers such as Howard himself may prove impossible to stop, defending against quicker modern players capable of shooting from a distance might be difficult.

However, O’Neal will be delighted with what Dwight Howard said as he is highly active on Instagram. He has in the past recognized himself as the most dominant Center the NBA has ever seen multiple times, and Howard’s claims simply add to that.

Shaquille O’Neal included himself and Kobe Bryant in his list of greatest 5 players

Shaq, apart from holding himself in the highest regard, has similar thoughts for his ex-teammate Kobe Bryant. The late Lakers legend often features in his list of GOATs.

As a matter of fact, Shaq thinks that both Kobe and he himself are among the best 5 players the NBA has ever seen, according to Bleacher Report. He ended up naming his idol Michael Jordan as the GOAT and including LeBron James in the list as well.

Shaq rounded off the top 5 with Magic Johnson and chose his late teammate over a range of legends. There is little doubt that Shaq is well-placed to judge, considering he played with or against all of the players he ended up mentioning in the list. 

Post Edited By:Hitesh Nigam

About the author

Rishabh Bhatnagar

Rishabh Bhatnagar

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Rishabh Bhatnagar is a Senior NBA Writer at The SportsRush. A lifelong NBA fan, Rishabh has been working as an NBA journalist since 2017. Before joining The SportsRush, he covered the NBA for another popular media platform. Rishabh is a bona fide NBA Historian specializing in uncovering stories from the league's past. He also likes covering trade rumors and player contracts. Rishabh has written almost 800 articles for The SportsRush and is always on the lookout for intriguing NBA stories. He is also a published novelist and an ardent Lakers fan.

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