NBA News Update: Shaq calls Dwight Howard a 'bandwagon jumper', Pat Riley discusses Miami Heat's plans for the offseason

By Raunak Jaiswal

Modified Nov 08, 2022 11:44 GMT

Given everything that the LA Lakers went through during the 2019-20 NBA season, it was given that their players would celebrate hard after winning the championship. NBA news updates were filled with pictures of everyone at the Purple and Gold showing off the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Hall of Famer and LA Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal didn't take to it kindly and even went one step further to call out Dwight Howard.

NBA News Update: Shaq blasts Dwight Howard for celebration after LA Lakers' title triumph

Shaquille O'Neal isn't one to hold back his opinions. He speaks his mind and as such has been a part of several beefs on Twitter. Shaq didn't like LA Lakers' players' exaggerated celebrations after the 2020 NBA Finals and named Dwight Howard in particular.

On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, O'Neal opined the following on LA Lakers' players:

"You know what I don’t like as a player though? It’s a lot of players on their little Instagram bragging like they were the reasons they got the championship. I ain’t gon’ say no names...Sit your a-- down, you didn't do nothing. Stop it...Frontrunner. Bandwagon jumper...Post one pic and sit your a-- down.”

Shaq goes off on Dwight Howard and calls him a front runner "Post one pic and sit yo ass down...Shut yo ass up. You ain’t do nothing." pic.twitter.com/y7PKUqOqfq
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) October 23, 2020

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It must be said that Shaq was being too hard on Dwight Howard here. He might not be the main reason why the LA Lakers won a championship, but he provided some quality minutes to the team.

NBA News Update: Pat Riley wants to bring the current team back

The Miami Heat exceeded expectations as they made it to the NBA Finals last season. However, they have several free agents to deal with this offseason and things could get tricky.

Speaking during his first press conference after the conclusion of last season, Heat president Pat Riley spoke on the team's plans for the upcoming season. He explained:

“[Would] like to bring everybody back and add to the mix...Do you just run it back without doing anything if you get the cooperation… from free agents? I think about that. Can we get through the Eastern Conference next year with what’s happening in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, what’s going to happen in Brooklyn, Boston, Toronto. There are a lot of very good teams. That’s a question I’ll kick around in my mind." [H/T: Miami Herald]