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Shaq Has Some Choice Words For Dwight Howard

Shaq Has Some Choice Words For Dwight Howard

Shaquille O’Neal is not a particularly big fan of Dwight Howard. This week, he addressed some of his lingering beef with the free agent center and described in great detail why what he was doing does not fall into the category of “hate.”

“You can only hate if you haven’t achieved,” he said on The Big Podcast with Shaq. “I’ve been there and done that, I’m still the Lord supreme of all big men. I’m the last big man to get an MVP in this league, so I’m still in charge. When another big man gets an MVP, I will resign gracefully.”

O’Neal then joked that he was essentially like President Donald Trump in that he was refusing to resign from his mantle of best big man around much like President Trump was refusing to concede this year’s election.

“I’m like old boy, I ain’t leaving,” he joked.

Back when the Lakers won their 17th championship in franchise history, Howard went on an emotional monologue telling people to follow their dreams.

“Everybody out there, don’t ever give up on your dreams,” Howard said at the time. “You can f–king do it, I swear! Just keep fighting.”

That prompted a response from O’Neal.

“You know what I don’t like as a player though?” he asked on his podcast shortly thereafter.

“There’s a lot of players on their little Instagram bragging like they were the reason they got the championship. I ain’t going to say no names. Sit your ass down, you didn’t do nothing.

“Stop it. … Stop it, front-runner. Bandwagon jumper. Stop it. Don’t be talking to me like you know, player. Sit your ass down, stop it. Post one pic and sit your ass down. … You ain’t do nothing.”

It didn’t take people long to figure out who O’Neal was talking about, since he has regularly taken issue with Howard in the past.

“If you’re a role player, don’t be on the Instagram like you’re a star,” O’Neal added.

Drama with O’Neal notwithstanding, Howard has an interesting offseason ahead of him.

This past year he signed a very team-friendly deal with the Lakers, paying him just $2.6 million for the 2019-20 season. Now that he has gone some ways in rehabilitating his image, he will likely be looking for something better.

Already there is chatter that the Golden State Warriors have serious interest in pulling Howard away from the Lakers. How successful they will be in their efforts looms as a big question mark.

Although Howard wasn’t used a ton in the NBA Finals due to match-up issues with the Miami Heat, he was instrumental in the Lakers defeating the Denver Nuggets in the second round.

As such, the team will no doubt want to keep him.

Whether or not they will ultimately be able to do that remains to be seen.

Related: Clippers Trading Paul George To Rockets For Russell Westbrook?

Jennifer Withers Hoey

Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.

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