Just recently, Shaquille O’neal reignited the beef between him and veteran Dwight Howard with his harsh comments about the latter playing in Taiwan. After Dwight’s dominance in Taiwan’s T1 League, the Laker legend decided to diss the future Hall-of-Famer (Howard) saying:
“He’s supposed to have 30 points playing against dudes [who stands] 5’8”,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “This league reminds me of the Life Time Fitness league every Saturday when I go work out.”
After not getting picked up by any NBA team, Dwight Howard decided to play overseas where he landed in Taiwan. He signed with the Taoyuan Leopards and he is playing like a superstar there. Despite his monstrous performances, Shaq still seemed to be unimpressed. As a result, he made controversial comments, not just to Dwight, but also to Taiwan’s basketball players.
OTHER NEWS: Breaking: Kevin Durant passes up Kevin Garnett as the 18th All-time NBA leading scorer. When will KD reach 30,000 points?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGp6-B7yK9I
In light of this event, Dwight Howard did not hold back and clapped back with an answer on his Instagram. In a live stream, DH12 fired back with these words:
“Stop hating basketball in Taiwan,” Howard said. “And I’m playing at the Lifetime Fitness League. Do not disrespect my teammates and this league and these people in Taiwan like that. That is highly disrespectful and that is hating and you’re too old to be hating. You’re too big to be hating. You’re supposed to be Superman, the original Superman, Shaquille O’Neal. The original Superman is hating? The OG Superman is hating?”
With the two now going at each other, their beef sparks up again and who knows what this might lead into.
OTHER NEWS: NBA: New Orleans may be able to draft Victor Wembanyama; Here’s how
The beef history: Where it all started
Back in the younger years of Dwight, it was all fun and games with the already-established Shaquille O’neal. It’s evident that Dwight idolized the Diesel in many ways, until the All-Star weekend in 2008.
During the dunk contest, Howard wore a superman outfit and won the contest later on. It was reported to be a tribute to Shaq, who was not an All-Star that year. However, none of his dunks or theatrics look even a tad bit of a tribute to the Big Aristotle. After that event, Shaq commented that “He is the Superman” still, and winning the dunk contest won’t take that away from him. This is probably where the beef started to brew.
OTHER NEWS: NBA 2022-2023: Early predictions for MVP, DPoY, RoY, 6MoY, CoY, and MIP
Fast forward, the grudge is already growing between the two big men. Dwight mocks Shaq through impersonation while Shaq claps back with his “four rings card”. Let’s also not forget the Shaqtin’-a-fool show where Howard gets most of the “lowlights”. As the years go by, these two grown men have been going at each other on the internet. Many thought that the beef was already dead until Shaq expressed his hate toward Dwight again through his podcast.
Related: NBA: Is Dwight Howard A Future Hall-of-Famer?
Why is Shaq still hating on Dwight?
In comparison, The Diesel has a way better career than Dwight. Shaq is also a better overall player, even a top 10 All-time great. But, why does he hate Dwight so much?
Believe it or not, O’neal and Howard have very similar career paths.
- Both were taken first overall by the Orlando Magic (Shaq was drafted in 1992, while Dwight was drafted in 2004).
- Both were very dominant centers during their prime.
- The two were coached by the same head coach in Orland, Brian Hill.
- Both also got traded to the Los Angeles Lakers from Orlando Magic and later won a ring in Hollywood.
- Both got the nickname “Superman”, which probably caused the beef between the two.
OTHER NEWS: NBA: Top 10 MVP candidates for the 2022-2023 season
Although they were eerily very similar, it’s obvious that Shaq had a better career. But, why does he hate Dwight so much?
The answer already lies in the first sentence of the question above. Since they share almost everything such as career path, nickname, and others, Shaq seems to think he is being mocked by Dwight Howard. Even though DH12 never got to come close to the player Shaq is, he still gets insecure but gets dismayed about Howard’s underperformance later in his career. Is this some kind of ego-tripping or is this some superiority complex issue? Is Shaq already getting out of hand? Let us know in the comments section below!
Will these two legendary centers ever reconcile? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
OTHER NEWS: Rumor: Mexico City to get an NBA team in future expansion, joins Seattle and Las Vegas as frontrunners
Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications. Stay posted and never miss an update from video games, cinema, and sports. You can also follow us on Twitter @spieltimes for the latest PS5 restock and drop. Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!
