Howard was then asked if he thought he had the same kind of alpha male personality as O'Neal.
"You can't look at it as the alpha male. It's basketball. We're not a pack of wolves," Howard said.
"There's different ways to lead a team. Sometimes you have to follow to learn how to lead. I've done an excellent job with guys of being somebody they can all come to if they have a problem.
"But if they're not working the way they need to work, I'm the guy that will tell 'em, 'Hey, you need to get in the weight room or get some extra shots up.' That's where I come in. I don't have to bark about it to you guys (reporters) or to the team."
Howard then explained what his definition of an "alpha male" is.
"If you're an alpha male, you don't have to always show that you're the alpha male," he said. "Just be who you are. You come in the room, people know you're there.
"My presence is felt every day, and I don't have to come here and growl and snarl at people. I don't have to do all that."
Instead, he said he tries to create a happy, enjoyable work environment.
"(My teammates) like when I come in, have fun and enjoy myself. Because they want to have fun and enjoy themselves, too," Howard said. "If they can't do it, it's not a great working environment.
"I don't think you guys would want to come into work with a boss that's always telling you what to do. If you see the boss being at ease and having fun doing it, then you're going to have fun doing that. That's who I am. I've been an alpha male my whole life, but I don't go pissing everywhere to show people that I'm an alpha male. I just need to be who I am."