A recent interaction between Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal has allowed us to find out where the two former NBA stars’ “beef” truly began. While Howard and O’Neal are no longer in the league, they have remained involved with the basketball landscape and even host their respective podcasts.
Many were stunned to find out that Howard accepted an invitation from O’Neal to appear as a guest on “The Big Podcast with Shaq.” After all, the general narrative had the NBA world believing that the two of them were not on speaking terms.
Since a straightforward conversation between the two of them might have prevented this beef from evolving over the years, it was good that they finally put the past behind them.
What Started the Beef Between Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal?
Howard and O’Neal’s interactions and conflicts might have begun several years ago when they were both in the NBA. Their first matchup occurred in 2005, when O’Neal was rapidly approaching the backend of his career at 33 years of age, and Howard was a 19-year-old rookie entering the league.
After O’Neal retired from the league, he became an analyst with TNT’s Inside The NBA and had various opportunities to take shots at Howard. Many believed that Howard’s rise at the time motivated O’Neal to pull him down. But until now, all these were speculations. Howard has now revealed what really triggered him.
“Just watching like TNT it was the episode where you picked up my cake and just threw it on the ground…I was like hey is he really pissed off at me…You talked about this attitude. This I don’t give a f**k attitude. Like that has been a problem for me,” Howard said.
Shaq: “What was it that I said that made you think I didn’t like you?”
Dwight: “Just watching TNT…the episode where you picked up my cake and just threw it on the ground.”
Dwight Howard on how he thought the beef started 🗣️
(via @bigpodwithshaq)pic.twitter.com/oaGntCkrSX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 23, 2025
When O’Neal celebrated his 50th birthday in 2022, the other crew decided to prank him by presenting him with a cake with Howard illustrated on it. O’Neal took offense and ended up subtly knocking the cake to the ground, pretending it was an accident.
Howard revealed that the moment solidified his dislike for O’Neal. Over the years, O’Neal also promoted a narrative that Howard did not care about basketball and had attitude issues. Howard shared that those statements also played a big role in creating a rift between them.
Both O’Neal and Howard have attained great heights in the NBA and have begun to look petty over this beef. However, quite intriguingly, the two seem to be trying to bury their past and foster a harmonious relationship lately.
Howard’s induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year was announced earlier this month. After this, Howard shared via X that he wanted Kevin Garnett, O’Neal, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to walk him out as part of a traditional presentation done at every induction ceremony. And guess what? Shaq agreed! IMMEDIATELY!
“That’s awesome. I’ll do it,” he said on “The Big Podcast with Shaq.” Understandably, co-host Adam Lefkoe was somewhat baffled. But the 2016 Hall of Fame inductee reiterated, “I’ll be there. … Of course. That’s my guy.” Fingers crossed!
