Shaquille O'Neal calls Dwight Howard "bandwagon jumper" for bragging about NBA title win

This year, the Los Angeles Lakers lifted the NBA title for the first time since 2010. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the Lakers, everyone from Alex Caruso to JR Smith supported the two stars off the bench. This includes centre Dwight Howard, whose role in the Lakers roster earned him redemption. Howard, who spent the majority of his career with Orlando Magic, was with the Lakers before for the 2012-13 season, when late Kobe Byant was still playing. 

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Shaq on Dwight Howard

O'Neal, who has won four NBA titles, was on The Big Podcast with Shaq, where he threw shade at Howard without actually taking his name. He went to rant about a Lakers player who according to him has been bragging like "They [were] the reason they got the championship". Fans picked up on the hint, concluding that the Lakers icon was talking about Howard. 

O'Neal even said "Follow your dreams", which could be a dig at Howard for something he said during his live after the Lakers NBA Finals victory. “I know you know who I’m talking about,” O’Neal added, before referring to the player as a "frontrunner" and "bandwagon jumper" and asking them to stop after posting one picture on Instagram.

Three of O'Neal's championships come with the Lakers, which he won with Bryant at his side. He then moved to Miami Heat, where he won his fourth title. Fans were mostly against O'Neal's opinion, thinking that the 48-year-old should stop picking on Howard. The Lakers won 4-2 against the Heat this season, winning their 17th franchise title. 

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Fans react to Shaq's comments on Dwight Howard

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Dwight Howard playoff stats

Howard played 18 games for the Lakers in the playoffs from the bench, even making headlines for his trash talk with Nikola Jokic and some Miami Heat players. Howard averaged 5.8 points per game in the playoffs while shooting 68.4% from the field and 50% from the three-point range. The highest Howard scored was 13 during the postseason – once during Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, and once during Game 4 of Round One against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

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(Image credits: AP, Dwight Howard Instagram)