"Oh there's beef?" - Cam Newton slickly mentions Dwight Howard in 'Superman' conversation with Shaquille O'Neal

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is a man with many nicknames. Among those is "Superman," a fictional superhero created by DC Comics before the 1940s. As a superhero, he boasts incredible strength, a characteristic that O'Neal used for most of his career, dominating other stars.

O'Neal isn't the only NBA player to have earned the nickname. Former Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard also carried the moniker after he put on a Superman costume during the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest. Howard was strong, but nowhere near as strong as Shaq. But his insane vertical leap made him look like Superman, which is how he earned the nickname.

Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton is also known for having the nickname. During his career, he did a lot of things well, which is how he earned the moniker. Newton recently appeared in "The Big Podcast with Shaq," where he detailed how he got his nickname.

Newton started talking about his nickname at the 48:00 mark.

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"When I got to the league, they just said 'Superman,'" Newton said. "'Cause he does a lot. I was like, 'What about Dwight Howard? What about Shaq?'"

After mentioning Howard, however, O'Neal had to ask him again about who he mentioned. Both the NBA legend and his co-host, Adam Lefkoe, were in disbelief that Newton mentioned the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. The 2010 Manning Award and Heisman Trophy winner acted clueless after the hosts of the podcast reacted to what he said.

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"There's beef?" Newton asked.

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O'Neal and Lefkoe played it cool and just laughed during the mention of Howard. It's known that the older big man is not a fan of the former Slam Dunk Contest champion.

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Howard reacts to Shaquille O'Neal's jersey retirement

The Magic retired Shaquille O'Neal's No. 32 jersey, making him the first player in franchise history to get his jersey retired, last year. O'Neal was congratulated by multiple stars across the league, including his former adversaries. One of the former players who recognized his jersey retirement was Howard.

He posted on X, congratulating O'Neal on his jersey retirement.

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The two former NBA stars were often compared to each other. Both were drafted by the same organization and moved to the LA Lakers in hopes of winning a title. Although both won in LA, it was a markedly different situation for both. O'Neal was an NBA Finals MVP for all three title runs in a three-peat; Howard was a key role player on the downside of his career for the 2020 championship.

Before O'Neal's jersey retirement, Howard revealed that he wanted to end his beef with the four-time champion. But Shaq has not responded to what the younger center said in trying to end the beef between the two.

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