Shaquille O'Neal to Present Dwight Howard at 2025 Naismith Basketball HOF Ceremony

The Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that Shaquille O'Neal will present Dwight Howard at the enshrinement ceremony for the Class of 2025 during the weekend of Sept. 5-6.

Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Billy Donovan, Micky Arison and Danny Crawford will also be enshrined.

Howard, 39, was an eight-time All-Star, three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time first-team All-NBA selection. He was the dominant two-way center of his time and led the Orlando Magic to five playoff appearances and an NBA Finals berth.

He was never quite as dominant in his post-Magic career during stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers, but there's was never any doubt that Howard would be a Hall of Famer.

It's fitting that O'Neal will introduce him. Shaq spent his first four seasons in Orlando and was one of the first superstars in the franchise's history, joining forces with Penny Hardaway to create one of the more exciting teams of the early 1990s.

In many ways, Howard was the spiritual successor to O'Neal after being the top overall pick for Orlando in the 2004 NBA draft, eight years after his predecessor departed for the Los Angeles Lakers. Like O'Neal, Howard led the Magic to the NBA Finals, though he couldn't quite get them over the hump.

And like O'Neal, Howard is about to officially be a Hall of Famer.