Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Henderson’s nine-year marriage ended in 2011 after things got irreparably tumultuous following a slew of affairs by the Hall of Famer. Shaunie caught Shaq cheating on multiple occasions and ran into his mistresses now and then. One of them even approached her and apologized, leaving her speechless.
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In her memoir, Undefeated, Shaunie wrote about the incident which happened in a Radio Shack:
“[The mistress] said, “I just want to say I’m sorry. I was one of your soon-to-be ex-husband’s mistresses, and I was well aware of you and the kids and all that. Still, I remained that person in his life for quite some time.”
At the time, Shaunie was in the process of getting legally separated from the Lakers icon. Explaining why she was remorseful, the woman told her:
“I’m in a relationship now and it’s serious. I understand what it would feel like if someone like me was to be part of that relationship. So I just want to say I’m sorry. I needed to get that off my conscience because I’m entering this new phase in my life where I’m just trying to right my wrongs.”
Shaunie tried to gather her thoughts and respond but couldn’t. She noticed the woman was wearing diamond earrings and although she didn’t tell her where she got them, Shaunie instinctively knew it would have been O’Neal’s gift. The mistress continued to talk, absolving Shaunie of any fault in how the marriage deteriorated.
“Just know that it wasn’t you. It never is. In some cases, maybe a woman pushes a man away, but I know for a fact it wasn’t you.”
The interaction didn’t heal Shaunie’s emotional wounds but lifted a weight off her back. It helped her in her journey moving on as well. After separating from O’Neal, she found her own identity as an entrepreneur.
Shaunie found success as a TV producer with the smash-hit reality show Basketball Wives, and its spin-offs Basketball Wives LA and Basketball Wives Orlando. She authored a memoir and found love again in inspirational speaker and life coach Keion Henderson, whom she married in 2022.
Shaunie admitted that divorcing O’Neal lifted a huge weight off her shoulders and she was free to explore her interests and be more than a basketball icon’s wife and a mother.
