Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard haven’t been on very good terms for a long time. However, coming across a clip on Instagram comparing Howard to rookie Victor Wembanyama, Shaq shockingly took Dwight’s side, announcing him as the far better prospect at 19.
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Ever since Victor Wembanyama stepped into the NBA, fans have been beyond excited to see how he performs over the course of the NBA season. In fact, the hype has even gone to the point that some believe he is better than Howard ever was at 19 years old.
Many have vehemently disagreed with this notion, including multiple former NBA players. And among them now stands Shaquille O’Neal as well, as his repost of an Instagram video revealed.
Dwight gets backed by Shaq in hypothetical against Wemby pic.twitter.com/Ssn0R0JOU8
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) September 4, 2023
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It is rare to see Shaq, of all people, stand up for Howard. However, it is hard to deny his opinion on this hypothetical matchup. At the age of 19, 6’9″, Dwight was a force of nature. Not only did he have the physical strength to bully any opponent, but he could also leap out of the gym. Compared to that, while Victor Wembanyama does have potential, he is still a bit raw.
His body is beyond skinny, susceptible to bully-ball from bigger centers. And while his 7’5″ frame and dexterity at his size are something beyond generational, there is still the chance that he lacks the body control required for him to be as good as Howard at 19 years old.
Admittedly, despite all of Wembanyama’s talent, we’d be hard-pressed to call this a ‘debate.’
Shaq has been on Howard’s side off-late
Despite spending most of his years criticizing Dwight Howard for even the smallest mistakes, O’Neal has recently been reeling it back. In fact, the big man has even been using his Instagram stories to give the former NBA man some much-needed credit. He recently re-shared an IG post that said the following about Howard.
“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.”
Many have found these acts to be beyond heart-warming and justifiably so. After all, there aren’t many things sweeter than former adversaries setting their differences aside. Perhaps the two may even sit down for an interview together someday.
