Nearly a decade after his own enshrinement, Shaquille O’Neal is heading back to Springfield, Massachusetts. The NBA legend, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, will return this September as a presenter for another big man who left his mark on the game: Dwight Howard.
Howard will receive basketball’s ultimate honor on September 6, and O’Neal will be standing alongside him as one of the presenters. The Hall of Fame confirmed the news this week after O’Neal had already expressed his excitement about showing support for the former Orlando Magic star.
For O’Neal, this moment is especially meaningful. The 7-foot-1 center enjoyed a career most players can only dream about: four NBA championships, 15 All-Star selections, 14 All-NBA honors, three Finals MVP awards, and a league MVP trophy in 2000. Over 19 seasons, he scored more than 28,000 points, grabbed 13,000 rebounds, and swatted 2,700 shots. Simply put, O’Neal was one of the most dominant forces in the history of the league.
Now, he gets to play a new role—passing the torch, so to speak, to another dominant big man.
From Criticism to Respect
If you’ve followed Shaq’s career as a broadcaster and podcast host, you know he has never been shy about criticizing Dwight Howard. The two often had a public feud, with O’Neal frequently downplaying Howard’s accomplishments. But recently, O’Neal revealed the real reason behind his tough talk.
According to Shaq, his criticism was never about disrespect—it was about motivation. He explained that throughout his career, he noticed teammates and rivals alike often elevated their play when they were challenged. From Kobe Bryant to Dwyane Wade to Anfernee Hardaway, O’Neal said great players often responded to criticism by playing at a higher level.
“With Dwight, I was just trying to push him,” Shaq admitted. “Sometimes as a leader, you have to find different ways to motivate youngsters. That’s all I did.”
The two finally sat down for what O’Neal described as a “heart-to-heart” talk, which put an end to years of tension. Since then, the relationship has warmed considerably, with Shaq even attending one of Howard’s BIG3 games to show his support.
A Full Circle Moment
For basketball fans, seeing O’Neal and Howard share the stage at the Hall of Fame will feel like a full circle moment. Howard, an eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, was often compared to O’Neal during his prime years with the Orlando Magic and later with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now, the two men stand united as Hall of Fame brothers.
Howard was originally slated to be presented by NBA greats Patrick Ewing, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman, and Dominique Wilkins. Adding Shaquille O’Neal to that list only makes the moment bigger. For Howard, being presented by one of the most dominant big men of all time—and someone who once challenged him publicly—adds an extra layer of significance to his enshrinement.
For O’Neal, it’s another chance to celebrate the game he helped shape, and to show that even fierce rivalries can evolve into respect.