'I’m the current president of big man alliance!' Shaquille O’Neal gets honest about ‘beef’ with Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard and Big Shaq have a long history of what the media terms a ‘beef’ and even though O’Neal has come out to say he likes Howard, it doesn’t just wipe away the past between them. However, Howard in the past had also come out to say he doesn’t have an issue with the former dominant center, but their actions have told a very different story thus far. 

The genesis of their feud is said to have started when Howard wore a Superman outfit to the 2008 NBA Dunk Contest leading to O’Neal criticizing his performance, as well as Howard calling Shaq out as a hater. However, Shaq had never relented on his admiration of Howard’s skills as one of the game’s dominant centers. 

Shaquille O’Neal talks about his relationship with the late Kobe Bryant

Shaquille O’Neal, in his appearance on the podcast, also talked about his time playing alongside the late Kobe Bryant. He noted that the Black Mamba wasn’t one to play second chair to anyone, even when O’Neal was in his prime. As a result, both players became fierce competitors, which ultimately profited the team. 

It was one word that kept us together, it's respect. We used to go at it, like 'motherf**ker I'm shooting, no you're shooting!' But the respect is there. And I tell people all the time, if you think we didn't get along go back and watch the first championship after we beat Indiana. It's a 1000 motherf**kers on the floor, but who's the first person he runs to? The respect is going to be there and as long as you have it you can go anywhere with a conversation. Shaquille O’Neal said

O’Neal emphasized the mutual respect they both had for each other. Such as their first championship win in 2000, where Bryant was the first person he ran to celebrate with.

Interestingly, their partnership led to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002, but not all good things last forever as it eventually ended due to tensions between the two and with the franchise. O’Neal has created a history of prioritizing his teammates’ trust, which has led to him having a great rapport with teammates and rivals alike.