Basketball fans likely know a lot about Shaquille O’Neal’s career in the NBA, and love watching him cutting it up on Inside The NBA with his co-hosts and ribbing his frenemy Charles Barkley. What they may be less privy to is his personal life after divorcing wife Shaunie Henderson back in 2011, and the impact it had on him. O’Neal recently revealed that he takes full responsibility for his marriage falling apart, and shared how he’s hoping to change should he ever decide to get married again.
Now, after a decade has passed since Shaquille O’Neal and his wife divorced, he’s willing to accept responsibility for the split. O’Neal told People that he took their relationship for granted:
I was a dickhead. You don't know how good you got something till it's gone.
Shaquille O’Neal has spoken a lot recently about the reasons behind his marriage failing, and referred to himself on past occasions as a “serial cheater.” Infidelity certainly played a part in his divorce, and O'Neal takes public responsibility for those past mistakes ultimately contributing to the end of his marriage.
The divorce with Shaunie Henderson didn’t just impact Shaquille O’Neal’s relationship with her, but also his dynamic with his children. O’Neal lamented on the days of coming home to a large empty house when his kids were staying with Henderson, and ultimately knowing he was to blame:
And guess what? It's your fault. I was living the good life.
It’s nice to see Shaquille O’Neal taking accountability for what happened in his past relationship, and acknowledging the role he played in the marriage falling apart. Not only does it shed more light on a difficult time in his life, but is an example of why cheating is never good for a relationship.
Additionally, it seems like Shaquille O’Neal has grown from his mistakes and is applying the lessons he learned to any relationship he pursues in the future. In the event he ever got married again, O'Neal said that he’d treat that marriage much differently than his one with Shaunie Henderson:
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.
Shaquille O'Neal has been out on the dating scene in 2022 and made news when he paid a whole restaurant’s tab when out on a date earlier this year. He’s also weighed in on a lot of drama happening with other celebrities and their relationships, and offered his two cents on everything from Kanye West's antics to Adam Levine's cheating scandal. 2022 Shaq is so honest and wholesome that it's almost enough to make me want to fire up Kazaam in his honor, though I may pick one of his other films or projects instead.
These days, most audiences can find Shaquille O’Neal on Inside The NBA, which is often paired with whatever games are running on TNT. Even for those who don’t like basketball, it’s worth tuning in just to watch him get riled up by Charles Barkley.
