Shaquille O’Neal often has shouldered the blame for the demise of his marriage to Shaunie Henderson. Now he’s shedding light on what really goes down with NBA players on the road and women and why it’s so hard for athletes to maintain solid relationships.
On June 5, the NBA legend and his co-host Adam Lefkoe got deep on their “The Big Podcast with Shaq” show when Lefkoe asked if it’s difficult for single NBA players to settle down after they retire.
The former Lakers player suggested that the transition might be tough because the player’s status would have decreased and they might eventually become less recognized, “whereas before every city you go to the women are looking for you.”
But Shaq said that the idea that NBA players are besieged by groupies when they’re traveling is false.
“That’s a myth,” O’Neal said without any hesitation. “I’ve been in a lot of lobbies — I didn’t see anybody. So I remember I was coming in, they did this Esquire article about how the girls would be waiting out[side]. So, I was looking for that. Never happened. Never happened. Trust me, I was the baddest on the road. It never happened. You go and you see people.”
Shaq was married during most of his NBA career, playing for five different teams: Los Angeles Lakers (2002-2004), Miami Heat (2004-2008), Phoenix Suns (2008-2009), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010), Boston Celtics (2010-2011).
He retired in 2011 but as a divorcee he understands why some NBA players’ relationships and marriages end up not working out.
“The problem with us is when you live a certain lifestyle, and then it all shuts down, you only know what you know. So, if you don’t know the rules of commitment, it’ll never work. And then, you know, us being not committed, everything is an excuse,” Shaq said. “Because once you say to somebody, ‘I’m going to commit,’ you’ve got to do your f-cking job as a man. Right?”
Putting it in perspective, the 53-year-old used an analogy.
“If you live a tiger lifestyle and then you try to become a tame tiger it ain’t going to work,” he continued. “It’s not going to work. So, you know, there’s a reason why the divorce rate is high. Because we live a certain — and not all of us — but like, we live a certain lifestyle and a lot comes with it. And then when that’s all stopping, and you trying to go out and look for that, if you don’t understand their rules and understand their laws it’ll never work.”
Shaq responds to his ex wife shaunie on ig after she wrote in her book
“I don’t know if I was ever really in love with the man” pic.twitter.com/MgU532VdRi
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) May 8, 2024
Most fans online claimed they could relate to O’Neal’s response to Lefkoe.’s remark.
One person reacting to NBA Soundbites’ repost of the clip said, “Well Shaq would know about that… listen to him guys.”
Another person on New York Post’s page wrote, “Lots of husbands travel for work and don’t nail everything that walks by them!!! It’s a culture thing, not an NBA player thing!!!”
A third wrote, “Like many here, hard to understand his point but I’ll try to explain it and it’s pretty simple. Many people are shallow and just into themselves. Therefore they can’t (and really don’t want to) commit to others. Period!”
O’Neal knows the topic well—he was married to Shaunie Henderson from 2002 until their separation in 2009, finalizing the divorce in 2011. Before getting married they each had one child from previous relationships, and together they had four more children.
Now, his ex-wife Shaunie is remarried to Pastor Keion Henderson who is the lead pastor of a Houston, Texas church called The Lighthouse Church and Ministries. The couple tied the knot in May 2022.
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O’Neal has admitted several times that his extramarital actions caused his marriage to end. He talked about it in his 2011 memoir “Shaq Uncut: My Story.”
“At one time my ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy, but I admit it–I was a guy,” he wrote. “I was a guy with too many options. Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that’s on me. In my mind, I never did it disrespectfully, but obviously I shouldn’t have done it all.”
O’Neal didn’t detail why he didn’t consider his behavior disrespectful.
Instead, he said, “You know as well as I do relationships are about maintaining … It wasn’t the big stuff, it was the small stuff, and that’s my fault. I had things to do. I was trying to win, trying to make some money. I admit I wasn’t the best partner. I just didn’t know how. I’m learning now.”
‘I Was the Baddest on the Road’: Shaquille Explains Why It Was Hard to Make His Marriage Work with Shaunie While In the NBA Living a ‘Tiger Lifestyle’
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