Shaunie Henderson knows all too well how hard it is to be the wife of an NBA superstar. Not only are you hurled into a fast-paced world of glitz and glamor, you are also constantly judged in the court of public opinion. In Henderson’s memoir ‘Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms’, she revealed the true reason she stayed in her marriage with Shaquille O’Neal despite his repeated transgressions.
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There were many issues within Shaunie and Shaq’s marriage. O’Neal engaged in infidelity throughout the marriage. However, the reality TV star decided to turn a blind eye on the actions of her then-husband to keep the family intact.
She endured the turmoil in her life for the sake of her children, who were very young at the time and needed a stable, two-parent household. Shaunie wrote in her book,
“Some of my critics will insist that I stayed in the marriage for the lifestyle that I didn’t want to give up the money, fancy cars, luxury vacations, and all the rest. But it’s just not true. I was raised to value family above everything else, and my instinct was to keep my family intact at all costs, even the cost of my own happiness.”
Henderson vividly describes how she found out Shaq was cheating. She accidentally swapped phones with her then husband while she took her daughter, Amirah, to a playgroup at school. Shaq had headed to practice.
Shaunie’s heart broke after she saw the messages on Shaq’s phone. This led to a heated altercation in the O’Neal household, which was not an ideal situation in a home with young kids. But Shaunie still decided to forgive Shaq after seeing him remorseful.
O’Neal was the centerpiece for the Lakers at the time, one of the most celebrated stars in Los Angeles. So he was always at the center of attention in LA’s glamorous nightlife.
Shaunie wanted to avoid divorce because family was at the center of her value system. She didn’t want to uproot her kids from school and go through a nasty legal process. But Shaq broke his promise to not cheat time and again.
In the end, she had no choice but to leave.
