Shaunie Henderson on Failed Marriage with Shaquille O’Neal: Should Have Sought Marriage Counseling, “Lacked Wisdom”

Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Henderson were married for nine years from 2002 to 2011. The concluding years of their marriage were not ideal and over the years, both of them have talked about it on different occasions. Earlier this year, Shaunie released her book ‘Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own’ where she addressed her failed marriage.

In the book, she talks about the reasons which led to their eventual falling out. However, Shaunie refrained from blaming anyone for the failure of their relationship, even though she assigned responsibility for the different mishaps.

At this stage of her life, she understands that if she and Shaq were mature enough when they were together, they would have sought marriage counselling. That could’ve helped them stay together.

The 49-year-old clarified that she isn’t trying to paint Shaq as the bad guy solely responsible for their separation. Shaunie wrote that she blames herself just as much because even though both of them tried their best to keep their bond alive, the efforts weren’t enough to keep them together.

She believes that their lack of understanding of the seriousness of marriage was the primary reason.

She wrote, “Neither of us took the time to invest in our future by seeking marriage counseling, which, looking back, we probably should have. We both thought we were doing “the right thing” by jumping into family life, and we gave it our best…”

“We didn’t have the wisdom we needed at that time in our lives to nurture each other and grow, both as individuals and together, especially when life was so overwhelming.”

Shaunie wrote that Shaq was trying to live the life of a young millionaire while also being a father and a husband. That was a difficult thing to pull of.

On the other hand, she was trying to figure out how to be a good wife and a good mother under those unusual circumstances. She believes that after their split, both of them have become better people by learning from their mistakes.

It appears that Shaq has also learnt some lessons from the separation.

“It was all me”: Shaquille O’Neal

Shaq and Shaunie went through a lot of turbulent times when they were married. While their family was expanding and flourishing, the NBA veteran was making mistakes that would come back to haunt him in the near future. One of the primary reasons behind their failed marriage was the fact that Shaq cheated on Shaunie.

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, he said, “I was bad, she was awesome. She really was. It was all me…Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up. I’m not going to say it was her. It was all me…”

“I was just being greedy. I had the perfect situation. Wife was finer than a mug, kept giving me babies, still finer than a mug. I had it all, and I don’t make excuses, I know I messed up.”

Shaunie married Keion Henderson in 2022 and has already established herself in her new life. Even though her marriage ended with Shaq, they have maintained a good enough relationship where their kids can have the love and affection of both their parents.