Dwight Howard didn't take long. It only took a few days into Lakers training camp for Howard to make himself the center of attention yet again.
On Thursday, Howard was asked about quote from former Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, who ranked Brooks Lopez and Andrew Bynum over the three-time Defensive Player of the Year at the center position in a recent interview.
"I don’t really care what Shaq says. Shaq played the game, he’s done. He’s gone. It’s time to move on," Howard said. "He hated the fact that when he played, the older guys were talking about him and how he played, and now he’s doing the exact same thing. Just let it go. There’s no sense for him to be talking trash. He did his thing in the league, (he’s one) of the greatest to ever play the game. Just sit back and relax. Your time is up. I don’t really care. He can say whatever he wants."
In Shaq's interview, which will air on NBA TV's "Open Court" on Tuesday at 11 p.m., the future Hall of Famer praised Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon for being "true centers" and scoffed at Howard for playing a European style. Click here to watch the clip.
"I have respect for him and what he did for basketball," Howard said. "That’s it. Like I said, he already did his thing. He played. When my time is up there’s going to be someone else who can do everything I can do and probably do it better."
The back-and-forth between Howard and O'Neal dates back over a year when the TNT analyst ripped him for his use of the nickname "Superman."
Back in January, Howard responded by saying O'Neal should "just sit down and get on with his life."