“Drove 190MPH And Thought I Was Going To Die”: Shaquille O’Neal On Fighting With Shaunie And Eventually Flirting With Death

Shaquille O’Neal was a menace on the basketball court. The man was an unstoppable force, capable of running through any defense. All with his incredible strength and skill.

However, Shaq wasn’t just a problem when he was driving to the basket. He was also quite a problem when he was driving on the road. The big man was quite a nuisance during his younger days as well.

After all, back in the day, Big Diesel got into his fair share of trouble. In fact, he swore off driving his Lamborghini after nearly crashing it. An experience that had him questioning whether he would see the light of day.

Shaquille O’Neal stopped driving his Lamborghini after nearly crashing it following a fight with his ex-wife

In his younger days, Shaquille O’Neal was a man prone to committing many follies. To say he was immature, would be an understatement. The four-time NBA Champion was always getting into fights, especially with his ex-wife, Shaunie O’Neal.

Well, back in his days with the Miami Heat, the Big Aristotle got into a huge fight with the mother of his children. So, to cool off, he decided to take his Lamborghini out for a spin. Little did he know, he would soon come to regret it.

As explained in his book, Shaq Uncut, this was the day Shaq decided to stop driving the Lambo, forever. Having just finished a heated argument with Shaunie, O’Neal was driving his car to Ft. Lauderdale at a blinding 190 mph. Unfortunately, disaster struck as a car cut him off, sending him and his supercar spinning.

“So I’m in Miami and Pat and I have a blowup, or me and my ex-wife have a fight, so I take a drive from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale. I sit there and watch the water, listen to the waves, calm myself down, and start to head home. I was driving fast—way too fast—probably around 190 miles per hour. So I’m flying down the road and this car cuts me off and I’ve got to make a quick turn. I cut away from this other car and I go into about five different spins. My first thought was, I’m going into the wall and flipping over into the water. This is it. This is how I’m going to die. But I’m a lucky guy, and the car just misses that wall and keeps spinning, and when it finally stops I’m facing the opposite direction. I put the car in reverse and get out and try to stop my knees from buckling. Right then and there I decided, “I’m never driving this car again.” And I didn’t.”

Thankfully, despite his life flashing before his eyes, the big man’s car narrowly missed a wall. Safe to say, he was thanking his lucky stars after that mishap.

Shaq split up with Shaunie Henderson in 2011 after his cheating came to light

The fights between the two were the least of the problems between Shaquille O’Neal and his ex-wife. The two, despite having five lovely children decided to split up in 2011. Reports initially claimed that the two had irreconcilable differences. However, the Hall of Famer later revealed that the primary reason for their divorce was his cheating.

It has been 12 years since the two split up. Both he and Shaunie have moved on. And, while it is true that what Shaq did is unforgivable, the two still maintain an amicable relationship.