In her new book ‘Undefeated’, Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-wife Shaunie Henderson divulged previously unknown details about her life with the Hall of Famer. Among the sea of anecdotes about their time together, she revealed a terrifying incident that exposed her to the fanaticism of her ex-husband’s supporters and allegedly his infidelity.
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Shaunie revealed that before they were married, she’d support O’Neal from the suite at the Crypto.com Arena and would also bring their sons Myles and Shareef. However, one incident made her reconsider attending games. She wrote,
“I left the suite to get the kids something to eat and while I was standing in line, holding Myles’ hand, a woman walked up to me with two of her girlfriends and started screaming in my face-making a scene, calling me a bitch, and saying things like, ‘You think having a baby is going to get you in there? You’re trying to trap him. That’s my man!'”
Fortunately, a few of O’Neal’s friends were sitting at a nearby table and stepped in to break things up. This incident left a deep psychological scar, and it affected her mental health. She explained,
“The crazy woman and her pack of friends retreated, and I began falling into what would become a lengthy pattern of denial. I told myself, She’s crazy. She just wants what I have. There’s nothing going on. I never mentioned the incident to Shaquille. It was easier for me to simply pretend it didn’t happen.”
Shaunie revealed that she tried to convince herself that the woman was lying, but deep down, she harbored fears that O’Neal had been unfaithful. Her intuition was correct, as she uncovered stories of his infidelity and filed for divorce in 2009, which was eventually finalized in 2011.
Shaq and Shaunie’s life after divorce
O’Neal never denied the accusations and owned up to them. In his 2011 memoir ‘Shaq Uncut‘, he admits to multiple instances of infidelity, claiming he shouldn’t have fallen prey to temptation, but did anyway.
He also spoke about his infidelity on the Big Podcast with Shaq, claiming he was a “serial cheater.” However, he admitted that he regrets his decisions and how they affected his access to his children. O’Neal said,
“I was a serial cheater… I did it. I was the best at it. I’m not proud of it. I lost my family doing it. I lost valuable, important years with my children doing it.”
Even though they are not in each other’s lives anymore, O’Neal claims he will always care for Shaunie. On the first episode of R&B singer Monica’s MoTalk podcast, he explained why, saying,
“Shaunie’s married. I’m happy for her. I hope this gentleman treats her the way she’s supposed to be treated. I’mma still love her. She’s still my wife. I’ll always protect, provide and love for her married or not.”
Despite an ugly divorce, it’s endearing that O’Neal and Henderson are still on good terms and make time for their children whenever possible.
