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Recently, Shaquille O'Neal said that he's to blame for his divorce from his ex-wife, Shaunie Nelson. The two were married for nine years from 2002 until 2011. They have four children together: Myles, 24, Shareef, 22, Amirah, 20, Shaqir, 19, and Me'arah, 15. The former couple never gave details about their split, but recently, Shaq admitted that he was "bad" throughout his relationship with the Basketball Wives star.
How Did Shaquille O'Neal Meet His Ex-Wife Shaunie?
Not much is known about Shaq and Shaunie's first meeting. Reports say that they started dating in 1997. Then the former NBA player proposed to the film marketer later on June 30, 2000. They tied the knot two years later at the Beverly Hills Hotel. During the ceremony, the groom altered the vows to read "for richer or for richer." Prior to their union, they each had a child from their previous partners. Shaq had a daughter named Taahirah with a former girlfriend named Arnetta Yarbourgh while Shaunie had a son named Myles.
In 2021, talking about creating Basketball Wives, Shaunie gave a little insight into her marriage dynamic with Shaq. "Being married to him, we were constantly on the move," she told Tamron Hall. "I just felt like I was constantly supporting him which is fine – I was a mom of five, and it was a lot. So I never really had the time – I had so many aspirations, so many dreams, so many goals that, you know, that just weren't supported in that lifestyle at the time." She's been dying to get out of her ex's shadows.
She also said that she started the show for her kids. "When we got a divorce it was like, you know what, it's my time, I know I could do this I know I have great ideas," she said of moving on from Shaq. "It's time for me to put myself first in that aspect and have some type of career or have some type of, you know, legacy for my kids because you know their dad is who he is, and he's amazing, but I want to be amazing too." Her hard work certainly paid off.
Why Did Shaquille & Shaunie O'Neal Divorce?
In 2009, Shaunie filed for divorce from Shaq, citing "irreconcilable differences." She found out that her ex-husband was having multiple affairs. "Our Blackberries got switched," she said at the time after destroying Shaq's car following the discovery. "I went to my baby's play at school and I was like, 'Damn, my phone is going off a lot.' Just girl, after girl, after girl — like, 'Baby, last night what you did.' And I went in the arena and I went in that garage, not only did I flatten tires, bust a few windows, I wrote on the hood [of his car], 'I cheat on my wife. I ain't s–t,' with a knife."
During Shaq's recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, he addressed his mistakes and said that the divorce was all his fault. "I'm glad you guys asked because I don't mind talking about this, but I was bad. She was awesome. She really was. It was all me," he revealed. "Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up. I'm not going to say it was her. She did exactly what she was supposed to do and gave me beautiful kids, take care of the house, take care of the corporate stuff. It was just all me." He added: "Sometimes, when you make a lot of mistakes like that, you can't really come back from that."
How Is Shaquille & Shaunie O'Neal's Relationship Today?
Shaq recalled feeling "lost" after the divorce. He got back on his feet after realizing how much his family meant to him. "I said to myself, 'OK, you're not married, but you still have to protect and provide for this family.' I may not be a husband, but I'll always be a father, and a father's job is to protect, provide and love," he explained. "I have two wonderful women that have given me beautiful, gorgeous children that I have to protect and I have provide and I have to love forever."
He added that he continues to hustle mainly for his children. "That's why I work so hard. I don't work for me; I've got it all. I gotta work for them; I've gotta work for my six babies," he continued. Being a good father might have also helped in rekindling his friendship with Shaunie after their split. Now, he's happy that she's found a great man in her current fiancé, pastor Keion Henderson. "She's happy now. She's about to marry a fine young gentleman and I'm happy for her," he said of her 2021 engagement. "We have a great relationship. But, as I get older, and dwell on situations I can honestly say it was all me."
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