Standing in the Hall of Fame meant the world would know your name.
Even though both legends are nowhere to be seen competing in the league anymore, the rivalry they created was never forgotten among many fans.
Dwight Howard took the stage for a speech at the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, where part of the message was toward one of the greatest players ever, Shaquille O’Neal.
Howard sets aside their rivalry for once, believing it was just nothing but tough love and respect for each other.
“Shaq, we did not always see eye to eye, but in hindsight, I believe it was just sibling rivalries,” said Howard. “We are brothers in this fraternity of basketball, and sometimes brothers fight over the stupidest stuff. I really blame Soulja Boy. But I just want y’all to know the true, original Superman is in the building, and it’s an honor to have you walk me out in this arena of greatness.”
O’Neal responded with a laugh, showing enormous respect for what they have done to the game, which they have loved for many years. He was also a Hall of Fame enshrinee back in 2016.
A recent interview about their matchup
Howard also reflected on the issues between him and Shaq in an interview with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, stating that the beef was real, but had nothing to do with now.
“I don’t think none of it was for cameras. I’m not in the business of trying to do anything for show. The beef? I mean, I guess it was real as far as him disliking what I was doing and me disliking him hating on me or whatever you want to call it but, you gotta let bygones be bygones. My time in the NBA is over with, you know? We got the same jacket. We’re in the Hall of Fame so, we just have to respect each other, you know? Shaq came before me and a lot of the bigs so we always pay homage to the ones that came before us and would never disrespect him and what he meant to the game and what he’s done for the game. Away from basketball off the court, you know man to man is different from on the court and all in all I respect him and I’m glad we had an opportunity to talk.”
They had become comparable since they were both dominating centers in their eras. Howard’s playstyle within the paint was similar to O’Neal’s, becoming a threat against traditional centers despite a lack of shooting capability. Both also played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic.
The beef started in the 2008 slam dunk contest, when Howard used the cape and acted out the signature Superman logo, which contradicts O’Neal’s originality. The four-time champion assumed that Howard got that nickname from him, when it came from Soulja Boy’s song of the same name that trended then.
With the current Hall of Fame enshrinement, it was a moment for them to show respect and clear out the bad air to indicate that it was nothing but a competitive nature among them.
Howard earned the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction, then obtained an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal. He was also an eight-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA first team, and consecutively won three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
