Shaq Confirms That He Will Be At Dwight Howard's HoF Ceremony

Despite their past feud, Shaquille O'Neal confirmed that he will be at the Hall of Fame ceremony of Dwight Howard. 

Howard was very much a predecessor to O'Neal as an impossibly athletic big man who was near unstoppable when they were on. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer was even drafted first overall by the same team that selected O'Neal first overall, the Orlando Magic. 

But O'Neal was also a frequent critic of Howard, claiming that he didn't get enough out of his talent. And some wondered, if for that reason, O'Neal wouldn't be willing to serve as a presenter at Howard's Hall of Fame ceremony. 

During a recent Big 3 event, Rachel Nichols asked Shaq about his relationship with Howard and O'Neal claimed he never criticized his fellow big man out of animosity: 

"We finally had a heart-to-heart, you know. The same thing I did with him, the same thing I did with Kobe, D-Wade, Penny Hardaway. It’s how I motivate young players to become great. I treat them like I don’t like them, and I try to get them upset.

Because I know guys like Dwight and Penny, and Kobe especially, and D-Wade, when you upset them, they play at a higher level. But we hashed it out. He thought I genuinely disliked him. I told him, no, that’s not the case."

Howard will enter the Hall of Fame on Septemeber 6th as part of a class that also includes Carmelo Anthony, Danny Crawford, the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic Team, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore and Billy Donovan.