Shaquille O’Neal holds a never-ending sheer animosity towards Dwight Howard.
Throughout the years, both former superstar big men had their fair share of drama, bickerings, and heated clashes. As it is, O’Neal has been the main bully between the two, often dismissing and dissing Howard in terms of basketball achievements and off-court stuff.
And recently, another page has been turned on their bitter rivalry as O’Neal went viral by rejecting Howard’s inclusion to the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2019-20 championship run.
Howard was a key character in the Lakers’ memorable title rally within the NBA bubble four years ago, but O’Neal isn’t convinced of the contributions he made for the organization’s 17th Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The topic around the Lakers’ 2020 championship was discussed in the latest episode of O’Neal’s ‘The Big Podcast’ featuring O’Shea Jackson Jr. When co-host Adam Lefkoe mentioned Howard during the talk, the Hall of Fame center went on to blatantly label him as a “bus driver” who rode Los Angeles’ success during that year.
“He was a bus rider,” Shaq said. “JaVale McGee? He gets my respect. But that other motherf*****’s a bus rider.
“On some people, he can pull that, ‘Oh, I got a championship.’ Not with the motherf*****g Don Dada. He can’t pull that s**t with me. [He’s] a bus driver.
Contrary to O’Neal’s claim, Howard truly played a pivotal role in the Lakers’ 2020 championship triumph.
After a failed partnership in 2012-13, Howard managed to redeem himself when he returned to L.A. seven years later. He embraced a role playing role and fully bought in on the team’s ultimate hunt for a championship.
Playing the regular season either as a starter or a reserved center, Howard aided the Lakers to a 52-win, Conference-leading season prior to the COVID shutdown. He also anchored the team’s eventual campaign en route to the championship in the World Disney Bubble, and his defining moment was during the West Finals against the Denver Nuggets in which he neutralized superstar Nikola Jokic.
O’Neal may hate whatever he wants, but he can’t take away Howard’s feat in 2020 with the Lakers. And this fact can only be testified by every single L.A. fan.
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