Dwight Howard escalates Shaq feud: ‘Do we have to throw hands?’

Dwight Howard said he’s fed up with Shaquille O’Neal hating on him for the past two decades.

Howard, who was a guest on Ray Daniels’ “The GAUDs Show” on Monday, explained that he was unsuccessful when he tried to talk with Shaq about their long-standing beef — and then questioned if they should “go ahead and squabble” if it comes to that.

“Never disrespected him,” Howard, who left the NBA to play overseas in 2022, said of Shaq. “But he’s always had something to say. There’s times where I’ve gotten upset and I’m like, ‘Yo, Shaq, this gotta stop, man.’ I tried to [talk to him].”

Howard, 39, then recalled competing on season 33 of “Dancing With the Stars” last year and connecting with someone who he said was close with Shaq, and that they suggested for him to arrange a sit-down to settle their feud.

“At this point, I’m like, ‘Do we need to throw hands? What are we doing?’ Because I have not ever — for me, the only thing I’ve done with Shaq is mimic his voice. But what else can I mimic him about? He’s Shaquille O’Neal, he’s the most dominant center ever. But again, he keeps saying stuff about me. So it’s like, ‘Hey bro, do we really need to go ahead and squabble?’”

Their beef includes discourse over the nickname “Superman,” which was ᴀssociated with Shaq when he dominated during his playing days. Howard eventually adopted it when he was in the league, and Shaq has criticized him for not being powerful enough to take on the namesake.

“That’s the thing that I hate the most is the fact that he always thought I was trying to be him or be like him,” Howard said. “But again, if I wanted to be you or be like you, shouldn’t you take that as a compliment and to show how great you are as a player or a person? I ain’t never wanted to be Shaq at any level. Now, have I wanted to take certain things from him, his life and implement in my life? Hell yeah. I do that with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, all these people.”

Shaq, who caught wind of Howard’s comments, vowed to never bring up Howard’s name again.

“The fact u think I care about u is funny, but I won’t ever bring your name up again sensitive big man, a jokester that can’t take a joke,” Shaq wrote Monday on X. “Won’t ever say your name again ever again. Have a great day and now u have been deleted. Have a great day.”

Howard, who won an NBA тιтle with the Lakers in 2020, doubled down on his comments and accused Shaq of being “jealous” of other NBA greats in a reply post.

“I know you care. Cuz yo insecure ᴀss been hating and talking s–t for 20 years,” Howard wrote. “You to[o] big to be this insecure. I hope you don’t bring my name up again. 52 years old tweeting me. And still hating. Now all this time you was joking. You always been jealous. Jealous of Kobe [Bryant], Penny [Hardaway], [Dwyane Wade]. You jealous of Charles [Barkley] too.

“Go move around big lazy insecure ᴀss. I still have that long 5 Paragraph direct message you sent me a couple years ago telling me that I’m not that great to hate. And you still doing it. It’s 2025 grow the hell up. and move on.”

Howard didn’t speak about Shaq until Daniels brought up the four-time NBA champ and their feud.

He was seemingly unsure as to why they don’t get along.

In a separate post Tuesday, Howard said he didn’t want to “bicker” with Shaq anymore.

“Btw I don’t want people get entertained by two black man going back and forth over petty stuff,” Howard wrote. “I don’t want to bicker I just want to settle this like the two successful HOF black men we are! You the most dominant center of all time ! Come on to the podcast and let’s hash this out.”