'If I had anything negative to say about him, I won't ever say that in the public eye' Dwight Howard on beef with LA Lakers legend Shaq

The LA Lakers have been extremely busy this offseason as they bolster their roster to win another Championship. One player who was pivotal off the bench last season was veteran Center, Dwight Howard. Having been an elite scorer and rebounder since he entered the league, Howard has had to adjust to his new role with the LA Lakers.

This week it was announced, however, that Howard has signed a new one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, thanks to his excellent performances for the LA Lakers last season. In a recent interview with former NBA player Etan Thomas, the Center opens up about life in the bubble and his history with Shaquille O'Neal.

LA Lakers Dwight Howard opens up about life in the Bubble and his 'beef' with Shaquille O'Neal

Cleveland Cavaliers v Los Angeles Lakers

The LA Lakers stormed their way through the playoffs to claim their 17th NBA Championship last season. Part of their success was the depth of experience on the bench, including big man Dwight Howard. In a recent interview, Howard has revealed the confusion he has regarding the 'beef' with Shaquille O'Neal. He also commented on his experience in the Orlando Bubble to Etan Thomas on his podcast 'The Rematch'.

Now in his second stint with the LA Lakers, Howard has had time to look back on his career and, in particular, the time he first spent with the franchise. Etan Thomas took this opportunity to address the rumored 'beef' that Howard and Shaquille O'Neal share.

Due to there being no qualms from his end, Howard has remained baffled about the supposed problem that Shaq has with him but has chosen never to talk back about the LA Lakers great:

"I realized that you can't please everybody. Everybody's not going to be happy with you or what you're doing with your life. The way you deal with that is to kill him with kindness instead of going back and forth with him and saying things. Just staying locked in."

"When I first got to the team, me and JaVale was like, ‘Yo, did you do something to Shaq?’ And he was like, ‘Bro, I don't know, man! He's always talking about us!’ And I'm like, ‘Yeah man, he is! It’s crazy! Man, let's jump him!’ And then we just laughed." https://t.co/zc8q3GcOLh
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) November 24, 2020

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Howard certainly has done his talking with his game and will be a valued contributor to the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Averaging 7 points and 7 rebounds last year, Dwight Howard will bring size and rim protection to the 76ers roster, which has already seen the departure of big man Al Horford to the OKC Thunder.

Playing in the Bubble, Howard discussed how it felt to be so close to opponents as they shared hotels and mealtimes together. As a role player on the LA Lakers, Howard spoke about the important role that he would play when facing the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic. The Serbian is one of the league's elite big men and in order to disrupt his effect on the series, Howard was tasked with getting in his head.

"Every time I stood up on the bench, he was looking over there; every time he got ready to go into the game, I would run to the scorer’s table just to tell him, ‘Hey, every time you get in, I'm right here with you.’ And it worked out great for our team and also myself."

Although not tactics he is used to, Howard was able to stifle the Nuggets star player who struggled throughout the series against the LA Lakers aggressive defense. The Lakers won the series in 5 games in which Howard had two double-digit hauls and helped to contain Jokic on the defensive end.

Los Angeles Clippers v Los Angeles Lakers

The LA Lakers may not have made it to the Western Conference Finals, however. While the NBA continued inside the Bubble, America struggled against social injustice. Teams across the league knelt during the national anthem and used their voices as well as what they wore on the court to convey their messages of unity. Despite this, the players wanted to do more which Howard revealed meant they almost chose to leave.

"We were ready to leave. We were ready to go. Our team and the Clippers, we were ready to go because like I said, we tried all the other things. We knelt during the national anthem and we talked about it and it’s like, this is still happening and nobody is hearing us. Our team had a meeting and the consensus was: We out. Let's get together, let's go [home] and let's get on the front lines."

After deciding that the strongest impact and message they could portray would be to play and win, the LA Lakers remained in the Bubble and went on to claim the NBA Championship in style.