“You don’t know how good you got something till it’s gone,” Shaquille O’Neal once told E! News about his divorce from Shaunie Henderson. The 7-footer has frequently called the end of his 7-year marriage the biggest regret of his life and new revelations from Shaunie’s book ‘Undefeated’ have shed light on their relationship’s inner dynamics.
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“Finally, feeling like my back was against the wall, with no other options in sight, I suggested that Shaquille and I separate,” Shaunie Henderson wrote in her latest book.
Shaq and Shaunie first began divorce proceedings in 2007, a little over a decade after they met, and less than 5 years after they tied the knot. However, they would eventually reconcile before infidelity wrecked their relationship beyond repair. This was when Shaunie decided to broach the topic of separation once again.
“To my surprise, he didn’t seem that upset,” she revealed in her book. “He told me he didn’t think he was cut out for married life. The responsibilities were just too overwhelming.“
When the two met in 1996, Shaquille O’Neal was already a household name. He had just moved to Los Angeles, where Shaunie Nelson worked as a film marketer. Over the next few years, their relationship would bloom in the public eye. At the same time, Shaq would become the biggest star in one of the NBA’s biggest market teams.
In 2000, he welcomed his first child with Shaunie – Shareef O’Neal – and won his first NBA MVP and NBA championship. Over the next two years, Shaq would welcome his second daughter, Amirah, and win two more rings and Finals MVPs, becoming one of the biggest sports stars in the country.
Conflicts between his personal and professional life were already cropping up at this point, as head coach Phil Jackson would fine O’Neal for missing practice following the birth of Amirah O’Neal. Initially, it was Shaq who had petitioned to get a divorce in 2007. But Shaunie expressed in her book that she “felt guilty about depriving my children of a two-parent home (even a dysfunctional one).”
Reflecting on that period, O’Neal once said “Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up.” Whether he was referring to his extra-marital affairs or his superstar status in the NBA is unknown, but eventually both would take a toll on his marriage.
“I knew nothing would change unless I made a change. Knowing that meant that I simply could not stay,” Shaunie Henderson wrote in ‘Undefeated’. In 2009, she would file for divorce and by 2010 her marriage with Shaquille O’Neal would officially be dissolved.
The mother of four has since found new love with Keion Henderson, an internet personality and pastor from Houston. Keion and Shaunie tied the knot in 2022, with Shaq receiving a “courtesy invite” to his ex-wife’s wedding.
Even though Shaunie and Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t make it work as a couple, they have worked hard to make it work as parents, remaining respectful of each other’s personal lives along the way. The four-time NBA champion has been tight-lipped on his plans but continues to support his ex-wife’s ventures, even promoting ‘Undefeated’ on his Instagram.
