Becks hits back at Shaq’s Twitter taunts

David Beckham has hit back at Shaquille O'Neal after the improbably tall basketball legend issued a playground-style rebuke to the England football star. As part of a recruitment drive for a TV show, Shaq Vs, in which the 7ft 2in Cleveland Cavaliers center will play professional sportsmen - and women - at their own games, 'Shaq' wrote a tweet on the micro-blogging site Twitter intended for Beckham.

The challenge, issued on July 24, read: "Dear david beckham, I kno u heard about my shaq vs show, anyway u will never score a goal on me, I challenge you lil man."

Michael Phelps and Serena Williams have already reportedly signed up for the show, but Beckham could perhaps be forgiven for initially ignoring Shaq's seemingly informal invitation.

Beckham failed to respond and over the next two days, O'Neal followed up by taunting Beckham. "Don't make me call you out," he warned. Then, threatening to tweet to two million people that the footballer is scared of Shaq, he wrote: "u betta respond, if u scared get a dog".

Still receiving no response, O'Neal followed up on his threat, writing: "Its official, today is david beckham is scared of shaq day, he should b scared, he can never score a goal on me."

The insult clearly made an impression because last night Beckham finally responded to O'Neal's incessant barbs, choosing to dredge up one of American sport's most famous and bitter feuds by saying, "I don't see him calling Kobe out... I think Kobe could score against him." Kobe Bryant was O'Neal's team-mate at the LA Lakers until 2004 when their troubled relationship ended with O'Neal moving to another team.