Shaquille O’Neal Calls Out Ex-Girlfriend For Claiming He ‘Emotionally Cheated’ On Her For Texting Other Women

Shaquille O’Neal the boyfriend is drastically different than Shaquille O’Neal the baller. The Diesel’s relationship history is a little rocky, dating back to his playing days, but that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t had his conquests. In fact, Shaq spoke about his relationship history on the latest edition of his Big Podcast, where he revealed that he was once accused of “emotionally cheating” by an ex-girlfriend.

Shaq’s guest on the show was famed female comedian Jess Hilarious. The big man asked Jess if she had ever heard of ’emotional cheating,” a phrase she was unfamiliar with.

“I had a woman who I never cheated on,” Shaq stated. “But because I was texting my exes and having little friends and going in the DMs, she said I was emotional cheating.” This led to a complicated conversation about what the actual guidelines were for cheating on your partner.

Jess tried to explain that physical intimacy is not the only avenue someone can take to be considered cheating, an idea that Shaq scoffed at. Co-host Adam Lefkoe jokingly spoke on behalf of the Diesel. “Shaq doesn’t think that kissing is cheating,” he uttered, to which Shaq firmly agreed. Jess fired back instantly, “Well, that’s why Shaq is single.” 

Later in the relationship hour, Shaq asked Jess about popular R&B singer Ne-Yo, and how he has four girlfriends that he is in a polyamorous relationship with.

“Is that fair?” the NBA legend asked the comedian, indicating that some men are allowed to get away with cheating while others play by the rules. Jess thought about it for a moment but stuck to her guns. “My fianceé can only have me, and you can only have your woman,” she responded.

Shaq saw an opportunity to continue being a bachelor, which plays into comments he made in the past.

Shaquille O’Neal blamed women’s personalities as a reason he doesn’t want to get married again

O’Neal divorced in 2011 and hasn’t looked back since. The big guy was asked about potentially getting married again during an appearance on Unapologetically Angel with WNBA superstar Angel Reese. He admitted that he would like to, but that he was too scared for one reason and one reason only.

“Because y’all are crazy. Y’all are f***** plum crazy,” Shaq told Reese. This echoed what he told the Chicago Sky guard in the fall of last year about how women “be making up rules as they go along.”

We all want to find love, Shaq. Whether you find it in your DMs or at a church is entirely up to you. Here’s to hoping that whoever you find, you don’t cheat on them emotionally or physically.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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