Dwight Howard is now dead to Shaquille O'Neal, according to a hashtag the Great Aristotle included in the latest exchange of their peculiar off-court rivalry.
O'Neal and Howard, a pair of 7-foot centers drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992 and 2004, respectively, have a lot in common. Both won titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, had their own issues with the late Kobe Bryant and each adopted a Superman identity on and off the court.
But despite everything they've shared, O'Neal and Howard simply don't get along, despite the latter's attempt to organize peace talks last year.
“At this point, I'm wondering, 'Do we need to shake hands?'” Howard asked rhetorically while discussing the topic recently on Ray Daniels Podcast. 'What are we doing?'
O'Neal has since issued his response regarding X.
“@DwightHoward the fact that you think I care about you is funny but I will never mention your name again, a great sensitive man, a prankster who can't take a joke,” O'Neal wrote. 'I will never say your name again. Have a great day and now you've been eliminated. Have a nice day.'
Despite their commonalities, Shaquille O'Neal (left) and Dwight Howard (right) are not friends.
Dwight Howard is now dead to Shaquille O'Neal, according to a hashtag the Great 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 up with a series of hashtags, including '#inevercared,' '#stayoffpodcasts,' and '#nowyouredeadtome.'
Howard couldn't resist giving an answer.
“I know you care,” Howard replied. Because I, an insecure asshole, have been hating and talking shit for 20 years. You're too old to be so insecure. I hope you don't mention my name again. 52 years tweeting me. And keep hating.
—All this time you were joking. You've always been jealous. Jealous of Kobe, (former Magic teammate Anfernee Hardaway), (former Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade). You're also jealous of (TNT co-host Charles Barkley).
And Howard wasn't done there.
Claiming that O'Neal wrote him a long private message years earlier, Howard doubled down on his criticism of Shaq.
“Go move around, you big, insecure, lazy ass,” Howard continued. 'I still have that long five-paragraph DM you sent me a couple of years ago telling me I'm not good enough to hate myself. And you still do it. It's 2025, grow. and move on.'
O'Neal, near the end of his career, is seen with Howard in Orlando in February 2010.
Both O'Neal and Howard have adopted Superman personas on and off the court.
The origin of O'Neal's problems with Howard appear to stem from the latter's adoption of the Superman persona, something Shaq adopted during his playing days.
Since then, in his role as a TNT analyst, O'Neal has criticized 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 problems and other injuries during the second half of his All-Star career. O'Neal has four titles to Howard one, and although the younger center has three Defensive Player of the Year honors, he faces an uphill battle to make the Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Shaq was enshrined in Springfield in 2016 and continues to be a popular analyst for TNT's Inside the NBA.