Shaunie Henderson was judged harshly in the court of public opinion after she filed for divorce from her NBA superstar husband, Shaquille O’Neal, in 2009. Many saw the move to be just a cash grab, an attempt to make the most of her failing marriage with one of the most successful athletes in the history of American Sports.
Advertisement
Only when Shaq started taking responsibility for his failed marriage with Shaunie in interviews and TV appearances, did the public opinion shift about Shaunie’s intentions. However, the 49-year-old’s 2022 book Undefeated revealed all the details of her marriage woes with Shaq, that brought forward a whole new perspective on many things.
For instance, the big man didn’t have to pay any extravagant settlements to his ex-wife after parting ways. Shaunie wanted nothing to do with Shaq’s money. In fact, she went against her lawyer’s counsel to only ask for sustenance for her children, which Shaq was legally obligated to pay anyway.
“Despite my lawyers’ advice, I didn’t want anything from Shaquille. I just wanted out. I kept telling him, ‘You don’t have to give me anything, just take care of the kids,'” Shaunie wrote in Undefeated.
“Of course, he was legally bound to take financial responsibility for the kids, which he did, but outside of that, all I wanted was my car, which was in my name,” she added.
Therefore, we can see that the rumors circulating about Shaunie (which mostly stemmed from the precedence of Michael Jordan’s staggering $168 million settlement to his ex-wife Juanita) asking for some exorbitant amount of settlement were untrue. She simply wanted her peace of mind back.
Shaunie filed for divorce after discovering that Shaq was living with another woman in his Cleveland house during his stint with the Cavaliers in 2009. This was the breaking point for her. Shaunie had forgiven her then husband’s transgressions on multiple occasions in the past, mostly to keep the family together.
Shaq had promised to mend his ways on multiple occasions. But Shaunie felt tired of repeating the same mistakes again and again. So she chose to leave with the kids.
Shaq’s divorce settlement
The details of Shaq’s divorce settlements are not very well known. Most reports suggest that Shaq was asked to pay a monthly child support payment of $10,000 for each kid and an added $10,000/month in alimony.
However, Shaunie has dismissed the prospect of alimony payments in several interviews. She admitted that Shaq paid her enough to take care of her kids. He always volunteered money regardless of the court directives because he had always showed willingness to provide for his family.
Additionally, some reports say that Shaunie received three of Shaq’s properties after the divorce. However, there is no evidence of this happening. We know that Shaunie didn’t lay any claim to their marital home.
Because Shaq has said repeatedly in interviews how his house felt empty after Shaunie left with their kids. So it seems Shanie’s account in her book checks out more or less.
The big fella hasn’t come out to contend any of her claims either.
