Dwight Howard is now dead to Shaquille O’Neal, according to a hashtag the Big Aristotle included in the latest exchange of their peculiar off-court rivalry.
A pair of 7-foot centers drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992 and 2004, respectively, O’Neal and Howard have much in common. They both won titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, had their own separate beefs with the late Kobe Bryant, and each embraced a Superman identity on and off the floor.
But for all they’ve shared, O’Neal and Howard simply haven’t gotten along, despite the latter’s attempt to organize peace talks last year.
‘At this point, I’m like, ‘’Do we need to throw hands?’’’ Howard asked rhetorically while discussing the issue recently on Ray Daniels’ podcast. ‘What are we doing?”
O’Neal has since issues his response on X.
‘@DwightHoward the fact u think I care about u is funny, but I won’t ever bring your name up again sensitive big man, a jokester that can’t take a joke,’ O’Neal wrote. ‘Won’t ever say your name again ever again. Have a great day and now u have been deleted. Have a great day.’
Despite their commonalities, Shaquille O’Neal (left) and Dwight Howard (right) aren’t friends
Dwight Howard is now dead to Shaquille O’Neal, according to a hashtag the Big Aristotle included in the latest exchange of their peculiar off-court rivalry
Dwight Howard accused Shaquille O’Neal of being jealous of his teammates and co-hosts
O’Neal followed with a string of hashtags, including ‘#inevercared,’ ‘#stayoffpodcasts,’ and ‘#nowyouredeadtome.’
Howard couldn’t resist issuing a response.
‘I know you care,’ Howard snapped back. ‘Cuz yo insecure a** been hating and talking s**** for 20 years. You to (sic) big to be this insecure. I hope you don’t bring my name up again. 52 years old tweeting me. And still hating.
‘Now all this time you was joking. You always been jealous. Jealous of Kobe, [former Magic teammate Anfernee Hardaway], [former Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade]. You jealous of [TNT co-host Charles Barkley] too.’
And Howard wasn’t done there.
Claiming O’Neal wrote a lengthy private message to him years earlier, Howard doubled down on his criticism of Shaq.
‘Go move around big lazy insecure a**,’ Howard continued. ‘I still have that long 5 Paragraph direct message you sent me a couple years ago telling me that I’m not that great to hate. And you still doing it. It’s 2025 grow the hell up. and move on.’
O’Neal, near the end of his career, is seen alongside Howard in Orlando in February of 2010
Both O’Neal and Howard have adopted Superman personas on and off the court
The origin of O’Neal’s issues with Howard seem to stem from the latter’s adoption of the Superman persona – something Shaq embraced during his playing days.
Since then, in his role as a TNT analyst, O’Neal has been critical of Howard’s effort and authenticity.
Howard has been out of the NBA since his third stint with the Lakers in 2022. He played in Taiwan in 2022-23.
Head to head, O’Neal has a clear advantage over Howard, who battled back issues and other injuries over the second half of his All-Star career. O’Neal has four titles to Howard’s one, and while the younger center does have three Defensive Player of the Year honors, he faces an uphill battle to get to the Hall of Fame.
Shaq, meanwhile, was enshrined in Springfield back in 2016 and continues to be a popular analyst for TNT’s Inside the NBA.
