Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Henderson’s tumultuous nine-year marriage ended in 2011 after the Hall of Famer’s slew of affairs. His ex-wife caught him cheating multiple times and even ran into his mistresses. However, one of them approached her and apologized, leaving her speechless.
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In Shaunie’s memoir title Undefeated, she wrote about an encounter with one of his mistresses in a Radio Shack. The woman admitted that she had an affair with O’Neal despite knowing he was married and had kids. She wrote,
“[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.”
Shaunie was in the process of getting legally separated from the Lakers icon when the woman walked up to her to confess her indiscretion. Explaining why she was remorseful about her actions, the mistress 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 come up with anything to say. She noticed the woman was wearing diamond earrings and although she didn’t tell her where she got them, Shaunie instinctively knew O’Neal bought them. The mistress continued to talk while she stood in silence. She proceeded to absolve Shaunie of any fault, saying,
“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 move on and live life on her terms.
