When someone is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, they must be presented by existing Hall of Famers. It is a somewhat sacred tradition in the basketball world, a chance for a legendary player to share one of the highlights of his career with the peers of his choosing. Some choose former teammates. Others pick coaches, or even rivals. In almost every case, the chosen presenters represent something significant about the inductee’s career.
Rarely will someone choose a presenter that they have actively feuded with for decades. But Dwight Howard does very few things the traditional way.
On Thursday he announced that he will have five presenters. One of them was a former opponent, Kevin Garnett. Three more were legendary big men that preceded him: Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dennis Rodman. The fifth, shockingly, will be Shaquille O’Neal, who made the reveal on his podcast Thursday.
Before Thursday, O’Neal would have been the last player anyone expected to walk out with Howard during his induction ceremony. The two have openly feuded for the past 17 years, dating all the way back to 2008, when Howard donned a Superman costume during the Slam Dunk Contest despite the fact that O’Neal was the more accomplished player and had long ago carved out his place as the NBA player with the strongest affinity for the Man of Steel.
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That beef lasted at least until this January, when Howard, on The Art of Dialogue, bemoaned O’Neal’s long-standing issues with him.
“Never disrespected him. But he’s always had something to say. There’s times where I’ve gotten upset and I’m like, ‘Yo, Shaq, this gotta stop, man,'” Howard said.
O’Neal responded on Twitter, saying “the fact u think I care about u is funny, but I won’t ever bring your name up again sensitive big man, a jokester that can’t take a joke. Won’t ever say your name again ever again. Have a great day and now u have been deleted. Have a great day.”
Howard delivered a lengthy response that ended with him saying, “It’s 2025 grow the hell up and move on.”
At some point in the last three months, though, Howard and O’Neal seem to have made up. And, well, it’s about time. The two have far more in common than either has wanted to admit. They were both No. 1 overall picks by the Orlando Magic. Both took the Magic to the Finals, but lost there. Both eventually joined the Lakers, and both won championships in purple and gold. And, of course, both love Superman.
As fun-loving big men who played for the same teams, O’Neal feels like an appropriate presenter for Howard. They just needed to solve whatever problems had separated them for the past 17 years. Now, they seemingly have, and O’Neal will watch as Howard joins him in the Hall of Fame.
