Shaquille O'Neal Shares the Inside Scoop on Resolving His Feud with Dwight Howard

Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard have put aside their differences after 17 years of hostility between these two renowned center players. Despite what some might prefer to believe, they shared many similarities throughout their careers, even though O'Neal amassed more championship titles than Howard did.

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard began their professional journeys in Orlando before they became dominant figures. They then moved on to play for Los Angeles. In 1996, O’Neal inked a seven-year deal worth $121 million with the Lakers during his free agency period. Later, Howard was dealt away from Orlando in 2012 as part of an attempt to form one of the most unsuccessful superteams ever seen in the NBA when he joined up with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash.

Four years prior to joining the Lakers, D-12 arrived at the Slam Dunk Contest wearing a Superman cape. Known as "Superman" himself during his playing days, O'Neal wasn't too pleased when others started referring to Howard using the same nickname.

It has been almost two decades since their rivalry began. Despite retiring, O'Neal continued to occasionally take aim at Howard.

Everything shifted following Howard’s request for O'Neal to escort him during the 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony. The four-time NBA champ agreed and referred to Howard as his boy.

After many years beefing with each other, they sat to talk in the latest episode of O'Neal's "The Big Podcast with Shaq."

A clip shared on Friday (via Legion Hoops on X) shows how these two buried the hatchet and ended the seemingly never-ending beef after they were at the same bar.

At the bar, you caught me off guard," O'Neal stated. "I was at the bar when he had his jersey retired. Sitting there, everyone thought we might end up getting into a brawl.

I was seated with my back facing the entrance when my friend joined me, puffing away at his cigarette. Suddenly, Dwight showed up alongside this huge, muscular guy who positioned themselves right behind us. As I turned around and spotted Dwight, I thought to myself, ‘Oh man, things are about to get really intense here.’”

He goes, "Hey, tall guy, mind if I chat with you?" We head to the back, and before he could start speaking, I told him, "Dude, why do you think I don’t like you?"

Since that moment, their relationship and interaction has totally changed. O'Neal accepted to walk out Howard during the Hall of Fame ceremony, they have a long conversation on this podcast and perhaps this will be the start of many other collaborations between them.

They found success with the same team, became first-time champions with the same organization and were more similar than they liked to admit. After almost two decades, the two Supermen aren't going against each other.

Related: Shaquille O'Neal's Clear Message to Dwight Howard After Hall of Fame Request