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LA Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal has responded to the revelations posted by his ex-wife Shaunie Henderson. The two were married in 2002 and divorced in 2011, towards the end of the player’s NBA career. However, in her recent book, Henderson revealed a range of details about their past marriage, and why things did not work out with O'Neal.
Going into detail about when the family moved to Miami, Shaunie made a number of revelations, and claimed that she is not sure if she ever ‘loved Shaq.’ Talking about the kind of marriage that the two shared, Shaunie suggested that O'Neal would be absent for much of the time, and was generally not involved in the family life.
In response, Shaquille O'Neal posted a story on Instagram, claiming that he completely understands her perspective.
“I understand….I wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best. All love. Shaq…”
The caption was followed by a heart emoticon, as Shaq claimed that he had nothing but ‘love’ for his ex-partner.
The revelations came as part of Shaunie Henderson’s recently released memoir, Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning On My Own Terms.
In what is arguably the most detailed account of their marriage thus far, Henderson revealed that while she loved spending time with Shaq, she was more in love with the idea of ‘being in love with the man’ she had a family with.
While the account does not paint Shaquille O'Neal in the best light during their marriage, it seems as if Shaq is well aware of his mistakes, and does not hold Shaunie responsible for anything at all.
Shaunie Henderson reveals a range of details about past marriage with Shaquille O'Neal
Shaunie claimed that while she spent years married to Shaquille O’Neal, most of her life revolved around being a mother to their four children. She suggested that O’Neal would spend most of his time away from home, even when he was ‘not working out,’ which his sprawling NBA career required.
Furthermore, she claimed that the marriage had begun to crumble right from its early days:
"I enjoyed those sweet early years being a mother and raising my children; my days were always busy with kids and family, and every now and then I got to travel or enjoy a little of the NBA high life. But invisibly, my marriage was beginning to crumble.”
She added:
"As I’ve written, it wasn’t obvious early on. You know how when you first get sick, and the symptoms are so mild that you’re not even sure you are sick? That’s how things were in the early years. I was busy and happy and didn’t notice what was going on. But as the disease progressed, the symptoms became harder and harder to ignore."
Shaunie also suggested that Shaquille O'Neal had a habit of ‘disappearing at times,’ something the former Laker himself agreed to, in another interview. Shaquille O’Neal said the following about his mistakes:
"I had two perfect women and I messed it up. My first one was my baby mother, Arnetta, and then I met Shaunie. Shaunie was also a perfect woman, and I messed it up.
Hence, while fans might have been concerned when the allegations came out, it is clear that the two have already found peace with their past, and only wish the best for each other.
