Dwight Howard believes Shaquille O'Neal felt disrespected by Howard-Shaq comparisons: "I wanted to dunk on everybody, but he took offense to it"
Dwight Howard has been compared to many superstar big men during his career. That includes NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal. Howard had a similar path in the NBA to O'Neal.
In 1992, the Orlando Magic selected O'Neal with the first selection. Twelve years later, the Magic selected another superstar big man with the No. 1 pick in Howard. Both became unstoppable forces during their time with the Magic. They even were both nicknamed "Superman" for their dominant play.
That comparison never sat well with O'Neal, who has consistently had beef with Howard throughout his career. Speaking recently with Shannon Sharpe on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast, Howard talked about the comparisons between himself and O'Neal. Howard said that at first, he liked the comparisons but he eventually was taken aback by Shaq's "offense" to the comparisons.
"I liked it," Howard said. "You know, I felt like he was the most dominant player. And every day I put on my jersey, I said, 'I'm gonna dominate, dominate, dominate, dominate and shoot.' I wanted to do whatever Shaq did. If that was dunking on everybody, I want dunk on everybody.
"But he took offense to it. Like I was trying to disrespect him. And I'm like, 'Bro, why? You the most dominant player to ever play basketball.'"
Dwight Howard looks back at comparisons to Shaquille O'Neal
It's difficult not to look back at the careers of Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal and not see similarities. Both were considered athletic freaks due to their combination of size and power.
Howard came into the NBA as a raw big man with an impressive combination of leaping ability and strength. O'Neal marveled fans with his 7-foot-1 frame and ability to run the floor effortlessly.
Both spent the early portion of their careers with the Orlando Magic. Ironically enough, both also joined the LA Lakers after playing in Orlando.
The main difference was that Howard only played one season with the Lakers before joining the Houston Rockets. O'Neal, meanwhile, became one of the all-time greats during his time with the Lakers. O'Neal won three championships while wearing a Lakers uniform.
Dwight Howard on the Magic was UNSTOPPABLE. 🙌 https://t.co/XEfMARVb9D
Howard wouldn't win his first NBA championship until 2020, while also wearing a Lakers uniform.
Both big men will be cemented as some of the most talented players to play the center position.
For Howard, he continues to wait to see if he will get a chance to suit up for another team as he's currently a free agent.