Shaquille O’Neal was one of the best centers ever to step foot on the hardwood floor, so it would make sense that when an all-time great who plays the same position as him gets inducted into the Hall of Fame, O’Neal would present him.
However, that will not be the case this year. Dwight Howard was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and it appears O’Neal will not be among his presenters when he gets in, which should certainly raise some eyebrows.
Shaquille O’Neal Was Originally Supposed to be a Presenter for Dwight Howard
When the Basketball Hall of Fame announced their inductees for the Class of 2025, it announced that Howard would be presented by Patrick Ewing, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman, and Dominique Wilkins.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 2025 Enshrinement Ceremony Presenters. (1/3) #25HoopClass pic.twitter.com/dJQalqELhV
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) August 7, 2025
While it’s not like O’Neal was automatically going to present Howard just because they were both among the very best to ever play in their position, it had been confirmed from O’Neal himself when Howard’s induction was first announced that he intended to present Howard during his induction back in April.
Shaq has agreed to walk @DwightHoward out at the Hall of Fame 👏@bigpodwithshaq | https://t.co/vNCCjPFDpn pic.twitter.com/cpCUtnBPK2
— Playmaker (@playmaker) April 10, 2025
It would have been cool to see O’Neal present Howard after their longstanding beef that lasted for over a decade. O’Neal doing this for Howard could have signified that the two had at long last buried the hatchet. After all this time, it sounds like they have, but O’Neal’s presentation of Howard could have put all that to rest once and for all.
From a sentimental standpoint, it would have been heartwarming, not just because of the two of them resolving their conflict with one another. By all accounts, O’Neal and Howard are the two best players to ever play for the Orlando Magic, as they were the best players on each of their NBA Finals teams in 1995 and 2009.
Not only that, but they are two of the very few players who can say that they eliminated Michael Jordan and LeBron James in the playoffs. There hasn’t been any explanation for why O’Neal won’t be presenting Howard at his induction, but it will likely not be too long from now.
Howard absolutely deserves his nod as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, as he was one of the NBA’s best players at his peak. It’s a shame that O’Neal is one of the few centers with the same honor and won’t celebrate the NBA legend during his induction.
