Dwight Howard’s Words to Shaquille O’Neal at Hall of Fame Will Bring Relief to Mama Lucille

In 2009, Dwight Howard dragged the Orlando Magic past LeBron’s Cavaliers to the Finals, averaging 25 and 13. It should’ve been his crowning moment. Instead, it turned into fuel for one of the pettiest beefs in NBA history: Shaquille O’Neal vs. the self-proclaimed “Superman.” Shaq fired shots about dunk contests, footwork, and even went as far as naming Andrew Bynum the best big man. Howard laughed it off publicly, but behind the smile, the barbs stung… until now. 

The feud ran so deep that even Shaq’s mother, Mama Lucille, once had to intervene, telling her son to apologize and stop tearing Dwight down. Shaq didn’t exactly play nice, and the tension stretched across a decade and a half of TNT soundbites, social media digs, and icy encounters. Fast forward to 2025, and the story flipped.

Howard, now enshrined in the Hall of Fame, grabbed the mic and aimed his words straight at the Diesel: “Shaq. We did not always see eye to eye. But in hindsight, I believe it was just sibling rivalries… I really blame Soulja Boy, y’all. But I just want y’all to know that the two original superman is in the building today.” And then came the moment nobody saw coming.

Dwight Howard talking about Shaq at the 2025 Hall of Fame:

“Shaq. We did not always see eye to eye. But in hindsight, I believe it was just sibling rivalries. We are brothers in this fraternity of basketball. And sometimes brothers fight over the stupidest stuff. I really blame…

— Vaibhavi Malhotra (@vmalhotraaa) September 6, 2025

Howard honored Shaq as a brother, calling it “an honor” to have him walk him into Springfield’s arena of greatness. Two Supermen, once locked in a cape tug-of-war, finally shared the stage. But was this true closure or just a pause in one of the NBA’s most bizarre rivalries? Well, come back here to find out!

(This is a developing story…)

The post Dwight Howard’s Words to Shaquille O’Neal at Hall of Fame Will Bring Relief to Mama Lucille appeared first on EssentiallySports.