More than a decade after her divorce from Shaquille O’Neal was finalized, Shaunie Henderson reveals what really led to her split with the NBA legend.
In her new book Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms, Henderson opened up about her public split with O’Neal. The marriage was struggling amid O’Neal’s heyday with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The famous couple got married in Dec. 2022. They share four children Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, Me’arah, and Myles.
“I enjoyed those sweet early years being a mother and raising my children,” she wrote. “My days were always busy with my kids and family, and every now and then I got to travel and enjoy a little of the NBA high life. But invisibly, my marriage was beginning to crumble.”
Henderson then wrote that the marriage woes were not obvious early on. She further recalled beginning to hear gossip right after the O’Neals moved to Miami.
“I started to get suspicious, but he always had an answer,” she wrote. “And I could never prove anything. Eventually, I was forced to admit that my family life wasn’t as blissful or perfect as I wanted to believe.”
She pointed out that O’Neal tried to be a good husband and father while navigating fame and getting attention from other women. The attention eventually broke the marriage down.
In Sept. 2007, O’Neal filed for divorce from Henderson, but eventually withdrew the filing. A little more than two years after the first filing, Henderson filed, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was officially finalized in 2011.
Shaquille O’Neal Previously Admitted To be a ‘D—head’ in Divorce From Shaunie Henderson
In late 2022, Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his split from Shaunie Henderson. He admitted that he wasn’t the best husband to his ex.
“I was a d—head,” O’Neal told PEOPLE. “You don’t know how good you got something till it’s gone.”
Fully admitting that the split was his fault, Shaquille O’Neal said he was living the good life while being married to Shaunie Henderson. He then lost the privilege of having joy in his home, pointing out that his home went from being full of noise and relatives to being quiet.
“Second day. Third day. Fourth day…. forever,” he continued. “The silence starts to get to you.”
Although he takes full responsibility for the things he did while married to Shaunie Henderson, Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t rule out the possibility of finding love again and getting married. “If it happens again, my next wife will be like, ‘He’s wonderful! He’s the best ever!’ Because I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
O’Neal then shared he missed several milestones in his children’s lives. Thankfully, he has been able to reconnect and watch them grow and pursue their passions and goals.
“I’ve only got peace because they don’t hate me,” he added about his children. “If they hated me, I probably would never have peace, but because we have a relationship and we’re cool, I have peace.”