“It’s So Much Pressure”: Echoing Shaquille O’Neal’s Thoughts, Paul Pierce Claims It’s Harder for Successful Men to Stay Loyal

Relationships can be difficult to maneuver as a celebrity, especially as one of the world’s most renowned and recognizable athletes. Shaquille O’Neal notably had trouble with his long-term relationships early in his NBA career, namely with his girlfriend-turned-wife, Shaunie Henderson. The Hall of Famer once revealed that he was so wrapped up in his craft that he often didn’t leave room for his love life. The Diesel also didn’t know how to handle going from someone no girl wanted to someone every woman gushed over.

Shaq and Shaunie spent just five years married before divorcing in 2007. The Lakers legend has admitted to the temptations he faced and the mistakes he made in the past, rectifying his downfalls as a husband by being an active father. But Paul Pierce knows exactly what Shaq was going through. As a fellow Hall of Famer, The Truth has had similar experiences with women.

Pierce explained that “there’s a difference between women cheating and a man cheating” on their partners. The Celtics great admitted that, as a professional athlete making millions of dollars each year, he has seen hundreds of women throw themselves at him, making the task of staying loyal even more difficult.

“As men, especially when you in the limelight, it’s so much pressure and so hard because women be throwing themselves at men of status,” Pierce said on The Truth After Dark. “You walk into the grocery store, you walk into the mall, you go to the park, it’s something. It’s like d*mn, I’m just trying to chill.”

“How many of these you going to turn down?” Karlous Miller questioned aloud.

Both men acknowledged the difficulty of not falling into temptation when women are constantly being thrown their way. “Like, d*mn, it’s just constant darts thrown at you. And then you slip up … and you do that, you know, it was just like, ‘Oh I’mma leave that over there, though,'” Pierce continued.

Miller, Pierce and cohost Azar Farideh all agreed that when women cheat on their partner, it’s more than just physical attraction driving the decision. “But when the woman do it, she really into that dude, for real,” the former forward went on.

“When a woman cheats, she’ll tell you exactly how much she don’t like you,” Miller agreed.

Professional athletes battling their selfish desires in order to stay faithful to their partner isn’t a new issue. As Pierce said, fame for men results in more attention from women, regardless of your relationship status. It may be easier for the average man to remain steadfast to one woman who truly values him. But celebrities have countless women who may “value” them for other reasons.