Shaquille O'Neal has always been an outspoken personality, but the former Laker and world champion took it to another level this week after making comments about new Los Angeles center Dwight Howard.
O'Neal made the statement during a roundtable discussion on NBA.com and spoke about Howard's skill set and how he would take some other centers in the league over him.
"We as players, we always watch people before us. When I came in it was Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, guys who played like true centers who played inside. What we have now are centers that are going to the European style, which is a lot of pick-and-roll. Dwight Howard, who's a pick-and-roll player, some people say he's the best center in the league, but me being an old-school center, I'm going to go with Robin Lopez and Andrew Bynum because they play with their back to the basket."
O'Neal had meant Brook Lopez, brother of Robin, clearing it up afterwards.
"Brook. Same thing. They're brothers."
Howard responded to those comments on Thursday, saying, "I don't care what Shaq says. Shaq played the game. He's done. He's gone. It's time to move on," according to ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The center had a rough time in Orlando last season due to constant speculation about his future and his commitment to the team. Howard had back surgery in the offseason but practiced for the third straight day on Thursday.
"He hated the fact when he played that the older guys were talking about him and how he played and now he's doing the exact same thing," Howard said. "Just let it go. There's no sense for him to be talking trash to me. He did his thing in the league. He's one of the most dominant players to ever play the game. Just sit back and relax. You did your thing. Your time is up. So, I don't really care. I don't really care. He can say whatever he wants to say."
The two have always been connected and compared to each other due to playing the same position and also because of their career trajectories. Howard, like O'Neal, began his career with the Orlando Magic, but moved on to bigger and better things (i.e. the Lakers) after not being able to win a title in Florida.
The center was initially hesitant to approve a trade to the Lakers due to the fact that he would be following in O'Neal's footsteps.
Howard has been one of the best players in the NBA over the past few years and has averaged 18.4 points and 13 rebounds per game in his eight year career. The most postseason success he had with the Magic was in 2009 when the team reached the NBA Finals against the Lakers that he now plays for. The team lost the series in five games.
Last month O'Neal reacted to Howard's acquisition by the Lakers to the Times-Picayune in New Orleans with similar comments.
"You have to care to have a reaction," O'Neal said. "I've got businesses to run. I always tell people that in order to step in my shoes you have big shoes to fill. For him, he's going to have to at least win three (titles) to get people's respect."
O'Neal was one of the most dominant players during his time in the league, winning four championships and an MVP award as well as three NBA Finals MVP awards. Howard has been prolific as well during his career, becoming the first player to win three Defensive Player of the Year awards in a row.
"I have respect for him and what he did for basketball. That's it. Like I said, he's already did his thing. He played," Howard said. When my time is up, there's going to be somebody else who can do everything I can do, and probably do it better. Instead of me talking about him, I'll do my job to try to help him to get to where I'm at. I think that's what guys who have done it before us should do."
The success of the Lakers this season will depend on how Howard and newly-acquired point guard Steve Nash will fit in with superstar Kobe Bryant.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
