The tension between Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, much like the endless Michael Jordan versus LeBron James GOAT debate, seems like it may never find closure. Recently, Dwight Howard expressed his frustration with Shaq, even questioning whether they might need to settle things physically to put an end to their ongoing feud.

Speaking on “The GAUDs Show” with Ray Daniels, Howard opened up about his rocky relationship with the Hall of Famer. This marks the second time in just a few days that Howard has addressed their issues publicly. He clarified that he never tried to emulate Shaq or disrespect him, despite what Shaq might think. According to Howard, Shaq always finds something negative to say about him.

“The thing I hated most is that Shaq thought I was trying to be him,” Howard explained. “But if I really wanted to be like him, shouldn’t that be seen as a compliment? It would just show how amazing he was as a player and a person.”

Howard also pointed out that he’s never disrespected Shaq, yet Shaq constantly takes shots at him. “There were times when I just had enough. I wanted to say, ‘Shaq, you gotta stop.'”

Howard recalled a moment during his time on *Dancing with the Stars* when he tried to reach out to Shaq through someone who worked on set and knew the four-time NBA champion personally. “I asked them to pass along a message to Shaq, to see if we could sit down and talk. Every time I hear about him, it’s something negative about me, and at this point, I’m wondering—do we need to throw hands?”

Both Howard and O’Neal share notable similarities in their NBA careers. They were drafted by the Orlando Magic as No. 1 overall picks in their respective years, played as dominant centers, and led the Magic to the NBA Finals—only to fall short of winning the title. They also share the nickname “Superman,” a moniker Shaq has proudly claimed as his own. These parallels seem to be part of what fuels the friction between them.

While Howard insists he hasn’t taken anything from Shaq off the court, he admits that Shaq influenced his approach to basketball. Speaking on Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s podcast, *Thanalysis Show*, Howard shared how Shaq’s dominance shaped his game.

“When it comes to basketball, there are definitely things I learned from Shaq,” Howard admitted. “The dominance, the way he dunked on people—I wanted to bring that same energy, like trying to break every hoop when I dunked.”

However, Howard also highlighted aspects of Shaq’s behavior he intentionally avoided adopting—specifically, Shaq’s tendency to criticize other players like Rudy Gobert. Howard explained that while he might suggest advice to players like Gobert, he would never take constant verbal jabs at them the way Shaq does.

For now, the unresolved beef between Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal remains a lingering story in NBA circles—a mix of personal grievances and professional parallels that neither side seems willing to let go of.