Shaq still not showing respect to Dwight Howard

In the world according to Shaquille O’Neal, there is still only room for but one Superman.

On TNT’s “Inside the NBA” this week, the retired Basketball Hall of Famer O’Neal once again refused to show respect to longtime foe Dwight Howard. During a segment about the L.A. Lakers and their five future Hall of Famers (LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Howard), O’Neal emphatically said that the Lakers only had four. It was an obvious refusal to acknowledge Howard as a future Hall of Famer.

Shaq just turned 50 and under no circumstance was he going to let the Dwight hate go and call him a HOFer pic.twitter.com/UT1ecsGj6D

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 3, 2022

O’Neal’s take is clearly an asinine one. Other than sheer pettiness, there is no reason for him to deny Howard’s case as a Hall of Famer. Howard is an eight-time All-Star, an eight-time All-NBA selection, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and an NBA champion, among other accomplishments.

But trying to get O’Neal to acknowledge his arch-enemy Howard is like trying to get James Harden to shave off his beard. The two centers have been beefing for the better part of the last decade-and-a-half and even had another round just a couple of months ago. At this point, Howard could be wearing his literal Hall of Fame jacket and O’Neal would still deny that Howard is a Hall of Famer.

Photo: Mar 10, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; NBA former player Shaquille O’Neal watches a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 105-99. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports