Shaquille O'Neal admits to Dwight Howard why he was so hard on Howard

[ASFN Admin]

Dwight Howard had three different stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he went through quite a rollercoaster ride throughout his 18 seasons in the NBA.

When he was traded to the Lakers in 2012, he teamed up with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, as well as fellow newcomer Steve Nash to form what many felt was a superteam. But the team suffered from many injuries and never quite gelled, and it ended up getting swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Howard left as a free agent in the summer of 2013 and became persona non grata in the Southland. After he became humbled following a few other failed stints with other teams, he returned to the Lakers in 2019 and accepted a lesser role on a team that won the NBA championship in 2020.

Through it all, Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal has been very critical of Howard for not fulfilling his ultimate potential. As a commentator on Turner Sports' "Inside the NBA," O'Neal has been hard on Howard, but recently, both went on O'Neal's "The Big Podcast" to try to bury the hatchet.

The four-time NBA champion explained why he rode Howard so hard for many years.

"When you're averaging 26 and you should be averaging 40, for us, they're saying we're not focused," O'Neal said. "... Of course you were focused. ... There's certain people on this earth that can get one ring and be, 'Oh my god, he's this and he's that.' [Expletive] like me and you, we gotta get two, three or four (championships) to get our respect.

"... Never said you wasn't focused. But in order for us to get to that next level, we have to be more [expletive] focused.

"... I wanted to get you so [expletive] mad and so angry to where you hate me, which is fine. I just need you to play at that [expletive] certain high level."

At the end of the day, Howard has little to feel bad about. He does own that world championship ring he earned with the Lakers, and thanks to eight All-Star appearances and three Defensive Player of the Year awards, he got voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Shaquille O'Neal admits to Dwight Howard why he was so hard on Howard

Continue reading...