After a recent Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Orlando Magic, 115-106, Shaquille O’Neal had some comments about Dwight Howard’s adoption of one of Shaq’s multitude of nicknames. This ridiculously long list includes: the Big Aristotle, the Big Catcus, the Big Witness Protection (of Lebron James), Shaq Daddy, the Diesel, and, yes, Superman.
During the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest, Howard came out dressed like Superman, and people have been calling him that ever since. Shaq’s nickname, on the other hand, goes back at least to his days as a Laker, if not before.
After their most recent game, Shaq was less-than-impressed with Howard’s effort in the fourth quarter, which prompted him to say in reference to Howard, “you tell me who the real Superman is.”
And, Howard responded, “personally, the Superman I know is the guy from Warner Brothers.” When pressed during the Rookie v. Sophomore game to elaborate, Howard declined. Good call. Don’t challenge Shaq any further. Shaq is a future first ballot Hall of Fame player, in the twilight of his career, so let the man say what he wants. Besides, what’s the harm in the old man talking some shit? He’s just trying to gain some kind of mental edge on Howard, who is a physical specimen and a beast that Shaq can no longer handle at this point in his career.
Hypothetically, if the 7’1, 325 pound Shaq and the 6’11, 265 pound Howard played one-on-one (in the prime of both players’ careers) Shaq would dominate Howard thoroughly. But, surely we can argue back and forth about what could have happened in that kind of hypothetical. The reality is that Shaq is one of the three most dominant players and winners of the last decade (the other two being Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant). Shaq is often compared to Wilt Chamberlain, one of the most dominant players of all-time.
Howard used to be compared to Emeka Okafor, who won the Rookie of the Year Award over Howard. That did not last, though, since Howard has proven to be the best young center of this upcoming generation. Okafor, otherwise, has proven himself to be serviceable, not great (ala Tyson Chandler or Spencer Haywood). Currently, Howard could be compared to Amar’e Stoudemire, a power-forward/center. And, if you had to compare Howard to the greatest players in NBA history, who comes to mind? He’s got the physical form of a David Robinson, but not the shooting touch. Is he a dominant rebounder and defender that fits the mold of perhaps Wes Unseld or Moses Malone? If he were a more dominant scorer, maybe we could compare him to Shaq, because they have some similarities in their games. Both are great rebounders and block shot artists. The only bone I’ll through Howard’s way is this: Shaq was a better offensive weapon, but Howard may finish his career as a better defender.
Comparing their careers is obviously unfair seeing as though Shaq is a 17 year pro and Howard is a 5 year pro. Nonetheless, NBA career-wise, who’s the real Superman?
| Shaq Stats: | 24.2 ppg | 11.1 rpg | 2.3 bpg | 4xNBA Champ | 3xFinals MVP | 7xNBA Finals | 1xMVP | 1xROY | 2xScoring Champ | 15xAll-Star |
| Dwight Stats: | 17.4 ppg | 12.6 rpg | 2.1 bpg | 0xNBA Champ | 0xFinals MVP | 1xNBA Finals | 1xDPOY | 0xROY | 0xScoring Champ | 4xAll-Star |
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Yeah, Shaq may have a point. This was almost as bad as the comparison that resulted from Stephen Jackson saying that he thinks he’s as good as Kobe. You really cannot compare their post-season success. Shaq wins 4-0 on titles, has one far more playoff games, and he is 14th all-time in playoff points scored. He holds the finals record for most points scored in a 4-game finals series. O’Neil is also the only player to have scored 30 or more points in every game of a finals series, twice (2000 and 2002). All-time, Shaq is 7th in blocks and 14th in rebounds. Also, Shaq is on the verge of 30,000 points, joining the elite company of Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Obviously, Howard has a lot of career left. His coach and sports writers, and some passionate fans of the game get on Howard about not scoring enough. There’s that and the whole winning it all thing that really separates the two players.
Now, let’s compare some of their all-time great plays:
Shaq’s:
Howard’s:
Howard is a very good player and on the verge of becoming a great one. But, one knock against Dwight Howard that I rarely hear mentioned is that in the 2008 Dunk Contest, when he proclaimed himself Superman through superior costume, he should not have won! Don’t get it twisted, his other dunks were pretty sick, but his last one, scored a 50, was not a real dunk.
Replay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igjo9VFK4UQ
When he took off around the free throw line, memories of Dr. Julius Erving and Michael Jordan rushed through my head. And, I started thinking: will a big man actually do this? Then, Howard dunked it…well, sort of. Everyone was excited and impressed, but he did not dunk the ball. Period. If anything, he threw it through the hoop from a foot and a half away, which in my book is not a dunk. Has the NBA ever given out a dunk championship before for almost dunking the ball?
To answer this, let’s check out some of the best dunks in NBA Dunk Contest history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW17gzreyLQ
Moreover, the Urban Dictionary defines the dunk as: “to dip the ball into the cylinder of a basketball hoop.” Also, as much as I hesitate to ever cite Wikipedia, their definition is even more specific: “A slam dunk (or simply a dunk) is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim.” Several parts of this clarify why Howard’s “dunk” was not really a dunk. He did not manually power the ball through the basket—he threw it from a couple feet away. Furthermore, Howard did not have either of his hands over the rim, maybe above the rim, but not directly over it. Take it from someone who has been watching, going to games, and playing for about 20 years. In no way, shape, or form was what Howard did a dunk, in the traditional sense.
A piece of advice for Howard: next time you want to “choose” a nickname, don’t steal one from a Hall of Famer!
R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
