Putting aside past rivalry, Shaquille O'Neal backs Dwight Howard's bold bid to join revamped Team USA featuring LeBron James, Steph Curry and crew
NBA legend and Basketball Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal has long been critical of fellow big man Dwight Howard. However, he now supports the latter’s bid to be part of a revamped Team USA for the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Howard, who's out of the NBA and playing in the pro league in Chinese Taipei, recently posted a video on Instagram. He expressed his intention to be part of a United States squad to redeem the country's fortunes following another disappointing result in the FIBA World Cup.
In the recently concluded edition of the world basketball spectacle, a U.S. team composed of young NBA stars finished fourth. While it was an improvement from the seventh-place finish in 2019, many still felt that the team could have performed better had more seasoned players were sent for the tournament.
In the aftermath, a call was made for Team USA to have the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Dwight Howard, who won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, jumped in the conversation with his video post that was captioned:
“I like what I see but don’t leave ya boy out ... if ya leave me out I’m playing with Taiwan, and I’m dropping 85 #nba #basketball #legends”
O’Neal has had a love-hate relationship throughout the years with the 37-year-old Howard. However, he's warm to the idea of Howard being part of a revamped Team USA, sharing the one-time NBA champion’s post on his Instagram story.
Dwight Howard's NBA career
Dwight Howard last played in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021-22 season. He saw action for 60 games and averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16 minutes of play per game. With the Lakers, he won his lone NBA title in the 2019-20 season.
He's an eight-time NBA All-Star, a three-time NBA defensive player of the year, a five-time rebounding champion and two-time blocks king.
Apart from the Lakers, Dwight Howard had NBA stops in Orlando, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington and Philadelphia. He has career averages of 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
Team USA roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup
Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)
Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets)
Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn Nets)
Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)
Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
Bobby Portis Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks)
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
Josh Hart (New York Knicks)
· Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz)
· Austin Reaves (LA Lakers)