"Lmfao nah Shaq soft asf" - NBA fans call Shaquille O'Neal 'sensitive' for blocking Dwight Howard
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard may have been two of the greatest big men to take the court for the Orlando Magic and LA Lakers but that doesn't mean they have to get along. The former NBA stars have openly gone after each other on social media and there seems to be no end in sight. On Friday, Howard confirmed that the four-time NBA champion has blocked him on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Following the highly publicized Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson fight, Howard took to X on Friday to playfully suggest that Shaq and him jump in the ring.
That led to one account questioning why Howard had not tagged O'Neal in the post. Howard then confirmed that he had been blocked by the former league MVP.
"I'm blocked lol," Howard said.
Shaq's decision to block Howard on social media has caused a furore and among NBA fans. After the news broke, many fans took to social media to call out O'Neal for the move.
"lmfao nah Shaq soft asf for that," one fan said.
"@shaq still sensitive," another fan said.
"He’s that soft?" a fan said.
Here are some more reactions from fans.
"For real!? That's petty," one fan said.
"He bitter because you are the real superman," another fan said.
"The real magic center who should’ve had his jersey retired," one fan said.
The ongoing feud between Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard dates back over a decade. The rivalry seemed to begin after Howard dressed up in a Superman outfit for the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2008. O'Neal has carried the nickname "Superman" since breaking into the league in 1992 and even has a tattoo of the superhero's emblem on his arm.
The two players have regularly exchanged jabs on social media. O'Neil seemed to take offense when Howard did an impression of him in August 2021, which led to the following dig from Shaq:
"Not bad @dwighthoward reminds me of your game SO SO"
In October, O'Neal continued the back-and-forth battle by posting a clip on his Instagram account of 6-foot guard Chris Paul posterizing Dwight Howard with a thunderous dunk back in 2006.
Dwight Howard claimed his jersey should have been retired by Orlando Magic before O'Neal's
Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal were both drafted by the Orlando Magic and went on to have tremendous careers with the Florida-based franchise.
In February, O'Neal had the distinct honor of becoming the first-ever player to have his jersey retired by the Magic. The 7-foot-1 big man was instrumental in building up the franchise during their early years in the league. Under his leadership, Orlando went on to win 22 playoff games between 1994-1996 and Shaq led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995.
Despite Shaq's impact on the organization during the mid-nineties, Dwight Howard believes that his jersey should have been retired before O'Neal's. On an episode of the "All Stars" podcast in January, Howard argued that what he achieved in nine years with the franchise surpasses O'Neal's contribution.
"And how many years did Shaq play with Orlando? Four years. So that’s kind of crazy. I played there for nine years and what we did in Orlando — no offense to Shaq, he should have his jersey retired — but I should've been the first one to have his jersey retired," Howard said.
Dwight Howard played eight seasons with the Magic (2004-2012) and averaged 18.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He also led Orlando to the NBA Finals in 2009, where they were defeated by a Kobe Bryant-led Lakers team in five games.