Why Did Shaquille O’Neal Get Divorced From Ex-Wife Shaunie Henderson?

Shaquille O’Neal recently hosted Jason Kelce on an episode of The Big Podcast. After congratulating the NFL star for his retirement, Shaq dished out some advice to Kelce. The TNT analyst stressed the fact that Kelce should enjoy his family. While doing so, O’Neal was open about the fact that he made some mistakes, costing him his family. As he was reflecting on his failures, fans were wondering why Shaq got divorced from Shaunie Henderson.

Shaq giving Jason Kelce advice on retirement
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— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) February 17, 2024

After Shaquille O’Neal’s move from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, he met Shaunie Henderson. The two began dating soon after and welcomed their first child – Shareef – together in 2000. In 2002, a year after the birth of their 2^nd child, the two decided to tie the knot. In 2007, after almost five years of their marriage, Shaq filed for divorce. However, the filing was dismissed. In 2008, they even burnt the hatchet and tried to make things work. But, in 2009 Shaunie filed for separation and the two finalized the settlement the next year.

Shaq and Shaunie did have a healthy marriage for a brief period. However, O’Neal indulging in infidelity and cheating on Shaunie was the breaking point of their marriage. Back in 2011, the four-time champ even touched upon the same topic, writing about it in his autobiography “Shaq Uncut”.

“At one time my ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy, but I admit it, I was a guy with too many options. Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that’s on me. In my mind, I never did it disrespectfully, but obviously I shouldn’t have done it at all,” Shaq detailed.

Back in 2022, when Ime Udoka’s cheating scandal was the hottest topic of discussion in the basketball world, Shaq denied speaking about the same. Referring to himself as a “series cheater”, the Hall-Of-Famer didn’t believe that he was in any position to comment on Udoka’s action.

“I was a serial cheater. It would be crazy and blasphemous for me to get up here and say, ‘Boom, boom, bam.’ I can’t do that,” Shaq said on The Big Podcast.

After her split with Shaquille O’Neal, Shaunie remarried in 2022. Henderson tied the knot with a Houston-based pastor Keion Henderson. While O’Neal does regret his actions, all he wished was for his former wife to be happy.

“I wish her nothing but the best. I want her to be happy. And I want her to just live a happy life,” Shaq revealed that he told Shaunie.

Shaq has been in a relationship with several women after his divorce. However, he hasn’t married any of them.