Who Is Shaquille O’Neal’s Ex-Wife? What Was the Reason Behind Their Divorce?

Published 04/10/2023, 6:41 AM EDT

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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has had multiple romantic relationships in his life and was married once to Shaunie Henderson, née Nelson. However, things went south, and the couple was officially divorced in 2011. After more than a decade, Shaunie recently married Pastor Keion Henderson in 2022.

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Who is Shaq’s Ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson?

Shaunie Henderson was born on November 27, 1974, in Wichita Falls, Texas. The reality TV star is one of the executive producers of Basketball Wives, Basketball Wives LA, and Baller Wives. Shaunie is also a former film marketer.

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According to a report from The Sun, she is the CEO of Amirah Inc and has a reported net worth of $35 million. Although the couple separated over a decade ago, they still share a great relationship as co-parents. The NBA legend even congratulated Shaunie after she got married to Pastor Keion Henderson in 2022.

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Do Shaq and Shaunie have children together?

Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie started dating in 1998 and tied the knot in 2002. The former couple has four children together: Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah O’Neal. All four children follow in their father’s footsteps and pursue basketball. O’Neal reportedly adopted Myles, who is Shaunie’s son from another relationship.

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Along with Shaq’s daughter from a past relationship, Taahirah, the kids share a great bond. Shaq and Shaunie have been universally praised for their parenting skills.

Did Shaquille O’Neal’s height bother ex-Wife Shaunie O’Neal?

Shaquille O’Neal stands at 7’1″ and has a shoe size of 22. Any normal-sized human being would look small next to The Big Diesel. And Shaunie was no different standing at 5’7″. However, as per reports, she was not bothered by the massive size difference.

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She noted that even though she is not short per se at 5’7″, she certainly looks small next to her ex-husband.

Why did Shaquille O’Neal and his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal divorce?

Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie separated in 2007. After a short reconciliation, Shaunie filed for divorce in 2007, which was finalized in 2011. According to various reports, O’Neal cheated on Shaunie, which led to the former couple’s divorce. Recently, the four-time NBA champion has been very open about his mistakes in the past. Shaq even referred to himself as a “serial cheater” during one of his podcasts.

Shaquille O’Neal shares regret over his failed marriage

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Shaquille O’Neal has shared his regret about the failed marriage with Shaunie many times. Shaq has immense love for his children and it was a huge blow for him when the kids left after the divorce. O’Neal also talked about the struggles he had to go through after the divorce. The former Los Angeles Lakers star has a massive 75,000 square feet mansion. However, it was hard for him to live in the place without the presence of his kids.

Expressing regret for his actions, he once said, “I’m not proud of it. I lost my family doing it. I lost valuable, important years of my children, from doing it.”

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Furthermore, he has always spoken very highly of his ex-wife for taking good care of the family. The 2000 NBA MVP and Shaunie still remain close friends and co-parent their children. The 15-time NBA All-Star stated that he was happy for his ex-wife when she recently remarried. Also, when Shaunie was asked about Shaq’s admission of his mistakes, she said that she was happy O’Neal finally opened up.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports, with a strong passion for the sport that started at the young age of ten. As a former college player, Bagavathi has been following the NBA for more than a decade and has found his calling in writing about the sport. His expertise in covering the NBA, as well as other arenas of the sport, is evident in his writing.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

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