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Los Angeles Lakers
Orlando Magic
Aug 18, 2025 6:34 PM EDT
Earlier in 2025, the NBA had confirmed that Dwight Howard would be among the players inducted into the Hall of Fame. The former NBA star made eight All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, five All-Defense teams, won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
After Howard found out about his induction, he took to his personal X account to reveal who he wanted to present him at the Hall of Fame, writing, “I want KG , Shaq, and Kareem to walk me out,” with a prayer emoji and a #hof. Howard clearly indicated that he and O’Neal had squashed their years-long beef with one another through this message.
However, on August 7, the Basketball Hall of Fame announced who would be presenting for each player who got inducted. In Howard’s case, that would be Patrick Ewing, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman, and Dominique Wilkins. O’Neal’s name was not on the list.
Shaquile O’Neal Reveals How He And Dwight Howard Worked Things Out
Over the weekend, FOX Sports’ Rachel Nichols talked to O’Neal about Howard, where the former confirmed that he would be on stage to present for the latter at the Hall of Fame. He also explained to Nichols how he and Howard squashed their beef with each other.
“We finally had a heart-to-heart,” O’neal told Nichols. “The same thing I did with him, the same thing I did with Kobe (Bryant), (Dwyane) Wade, Penny Hardaway. That’s how I motivate young players to become great. I treat ’em like I don’t like ’em and I try to get ’em upset because I know guys like Dwight and Penny and Kobe especially and D-Wade. When you upset ’em, they play at a higher level.
“But we hashed it out. He thought I generally disliked him. I told him, ‘No, that’s not the case.’ As a leader, sometimes you have to find different ways of motivating youngsters.”
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The difference between Howard and the other former NBA stars O’Neal mentioned is that he was never teammates with him, though they did play for a few of the same teams, most notably the Lakers and the Orlando Magic.
During Howard’s playing days, he and O’Neal had some choice words for each other, particularly because Howard called himself Superman as a nickname when O’Neal did the same thing when he played. This has led to an argument on X even after Howard’s NBA days were over.
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Still, it appears Howard and O’Neal have put that behind them, as Howard has voiced his desire to have O’Neal there, and O’Neal has confirmed that the feeling is mutual.
About the Author
Matt John
Trending News Writer, Athlon Sports
Matt John is a contributing writer for the Athlon Sports trending and breaking news team.