For the longest time, the two most dominant players for the Orlando Magic have been going back and forth with their beef. Former NBA stars Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard had some of the weirdest quarrels, which look like it has come to an end. Fans thought that O’Neal hated Howard because he made it look like he didn’t like the younger star.
However, he has often stated that he has no ill will toward the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy alum. Rather, O’Neal has repeated multiple times that he wants Howard to improve his game and be a better player. Sadly, the former LSU standout’s strategies failed, leading to a perplexing and protracted feud.
But that’s all behind them as they’ve recently talked about their differences. Howard even wanted O’Neal to be one of his presenters on Sept. 6, as he’ll be inducted into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. However, it’s been reported that the four-time champion won’t be part of the presenters, which feature Patrick Ewing, Dominique Wilkins, Dennis Rodman and Robert Parish.
Credit: Getty Images
While Howard hasn’t played a game in the NBA, that doesn’t mean he’s done with basketball. He’s still actively playing in the 3×3 league, BIG3, for the LA Riot. In Game 1 against the Chicago Triplets, fans saw O’Neal attend a game. He even interacted with his fellow Orlando Magic great.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star was asked about Howard’s Hall of Fame induction while he was in attendance. O’Neal confirmed that he’ll be in attendance.
“As a leader, sometimes, you have to find different ways to motivate youngsters and that’s all I did. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame in a couple of weeks,” Shaq said.
Before he could finish his sentence, Howard missed a dunk, which got O’Neal to react.
History to be made 🙏🏾 Thank you Superman 🫡 pic.twitter.com/t3WYKq4Am2
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) August 18, 2025
When asked about his plans to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony, O’Neal confirmed that he’ll be present.
“I will be there.”
The two Orlando Magic big men finally talked it out
Fox Sports’ Rachel Nichols got to ask O’Neal what he talked to Howard about when he watched the game. According to the Orlando Magic legend, he finally got to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the eight-time All-Star.
“We finally had a heart-to-heart,” O’neal said. “The same thing I did with him, the same thing I did with Kobe (Bryant), (Dwyane) Wade, Penny Hardaway. That’s how I motivate young players to become great. I treat ’em like I don’t like ’em and I try to get ’em upset because I know guys like Dwight and Penny and Kobe especially and D-Wade. When you upset ’em, they play at a higher level.”
Now that’s been fixed, the two former stars can put it behind them and move on.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
