'Thanks Superman': Dwight Howard Overwhelmed As Shaq Confirms Role In His Hall Of Fame Induction

“History to be made

Thank you Superman

,” Howard wrote on X.

For more than a decade, Howard and O’Neal have quietly bickered over who truly deserves the “Superman” nickname, a clash that began when Howard donned a cape at the 2008 NBA Dunk Contest and peaked in October 2012 when O’Neal staked his claim via pointed social-media barbs and on-air jabs.

Despite Howard’s insistence that the moniker sprang naturally from his aerial feats and community work, Shaq has repeatedly reminded fans that “there can only be one Superman,” even photoshop-dunking over Howard in 2016 to drive home his point.

Dwight Howard Beef With Shaq Seemingly Ends With “A Heart-to-Heart”

After spanning years and including multiple on-camera heated exchanges and even heated tirades through social media, the beef between NBA legends Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal has finally ended, as Shaq himself has confirmed.

In an interview with FOX Sports, Shaq detailed how the years of going after each other and throwing words at each other with Howard finally ended in a peaceful manner.

“We finally had a heart-to-heart,” O’neal said. “The same thing I did with him, the same thing I did with Kobe (Bryant), (Dwyane) Wade, Penny Hardaway. That’s how I motivate young players to become great. I treat ’em like I don’t like ’em, and I try to get ’em upset because I know guys like Dwight and Penny and Kobe especially, and D-Wade. When you upset ’em, they play at a higher level.”

With that, Shaq ended the long-running beef he had with Howard, confirming that they have “washed it out.”

“He thought I generally disliked him,” he added. “I told him, ‘No, that’s not the case.’ As a leader, sometimes you have to find different ways of motivating youngsters.”

Dwight Howard burst onto the NBA scene as a generational big man, earning eight All-Star nods, three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards, and five rebounding titles while steering the Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals. Known as “Superman” for his explosive dunks and towering rim protection, he finished his career with over 14,000 rebounds and 2,200 blocks.