"I never wanted to be like Shaq, but I enjoy watching Shaq do what he do" - Dwight Howard expresses confusion at Shaquille O'Neal's continuous criticism of him

The feud between Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal isn't a new topic in the basketball world. However, Howard recently suggested that the feud itself was one-sided when he joined the All The Smoke podcast.

Dwight Howard is widely regarded as one of the most athletic big men of all time. After spending most of his prime in the Orlando Magic, Howard often found himself in the conversation for the most dominant big man in the league.

Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal is widely regarded as the most dominant force the NBA has ever seen. He built a career on bullying other centers in the post.

O'Neal has often been very straightforward in voicing his views on Howard, primarily on the fact that the latter never reached his full potential.

While the feud has gone on for over a decade, Dwight Howard claimed that he had no ill-feelings towards Shaq. Joining the All The Smoke podcast, Howard spoke about his feud with O'Neal (55:25-57:37) and said:

"I never had no issues with Shaq. I never wanted to be like Shaq, but I enjoy watching Shaq do what he do. I think he’s the most dominant player to ever play. There’s no player who dominated like Shaq.

"I’m like, why is he hating on me? He should be happy that somebody is trying to follow in his footsteps.”

Dwight Howard also mentioned reaching out to Shaquille O'Neal to settle matters. However, the 4-time champion wasn't having it.

The latest development in the feud happened to come from Howard's claim that he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, O'Neal was not of the same opinion. Given his status as one of the greatest of all time, the 4-time champion refused to apologize for criticizing Howard.

After a stellar career, Howard believed that he deserved to be a Hall of Famer, especially after helping the LA Lakers win their 17th NBA title. However, two seasons out of the Lakers' title run, Howard finds himself as a free agent without a team.

With the future looking bleak for the 8-time All-Star, Howard also reportedly plans to join the WWE for the next stage of his career if he doesn't sign with a team this season.

---

Dwight Howard is a first-ballot Hall of Famer

While Shaquille O'Neal openly disputes this claim, Dwight Howard is undoubtedly a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Given his sheer body of work over the span of 18 years in the league, the 36-year old certainly deserves his place amongst the greatest.

Dwight Howard was drafted as the first-overall pick by the Orlando Magic in 2004. After averaging a double-double for the season in his rookie year, Howard earned himself a place in the 2004-05 All-Rookie Team.

Although his sophomore season was also fairly soft, Howard emerged as a perennial All-Star in his third season in the league.

Since then, Howard has notched eight All-Star appearances. Along with this, he was a 5-time rebounding leader, 2-time blocks leader, has five All-Defense selections and three Defensive Player of the Year awards.

While he only validated himself as an NBA champion late in his career, Dwight Howard has undoubtedly earned a spot in the NBA's Hall of Fame.