Dwight Howard knows he is in for a rough season as he returns to the same team he abandoned back in 2013. The 33-year-old NBA star found himself in the middle of a squabble between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the former continuing his swipes at the top pick of the 2004 NBA Draft.

In a previous post, Bryant and O'Neal ironed things out after seemingly reviving their feud that goes way back to their Los Angeles Lakers days. Big Daddy ended up taking a shot at Howard, misspelling his name to "Dwite" although it was pretty clear who he was pertaining to.

The basketball world was waiting for Howard to fire back and react to The Diesel's dish. The 6-foot-11 did so but not in the fiery manner that most were expecting.

"It's okay, I'm not here to talk about Shaq. What he said, what he did. It's irrelevant to what I'm trying to do," said Howard in a report from TMZ Sports. "So, don't talk to me about what anybody else said about me. My focus is on one thing,"

Seeing how he is facing stacked odds of criticism, it was the perfect response for the embattled big man. His NBA career has spiraled since leaving the Orlando Magic and the past years saw him struggling through injuries.

O'Neal would make a U-turn, later on, telling Howard to dig deep and help the Lakers win a title. However, this development is not expected to settle down the rift between the two, especially for the coming NBA season.

Howard was the Lakers choice to fill in the void left by DeMarcus Cousins. Boogie ended up being ruled out for the coming season after suffering an ACL injury. However, the eight-time NBA All-Star holds a non-guaranteed contract, meaning the Lakers can easily drop him if he does not perform up to par.

The Lakers expect Howard to work the glass and become their rim protector. While he has proven that through the years, it is his health that most are monitoring closely. The three-time NBA Defensive of the Year will play behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a role that he will have to accept for now.

It is a rare and odd scenario for the former NBA Slam Dunk champion. However, he is in a prime position to win an NBA title if things fall into place for the purple and gold this 2019-20 season.