Shaquille O’Neal seems to be dealing Shaunie Henderson’s revelations about his ex-marriage with grace. In his new book, his ex-wife talks about not being sure if she was in love with Shaq or the idea of marriage and family. His first public response to her comments comes just one day after the novel’s release.
RELATED: Shaunie Henderson Shocks Social Media With Comments About Her Past Relationship With Shaquille O’Neal
What did Shaquille say about Shaunie’s truth?
Shaunie allegedly wrote about being more “in love with the idea of being married to the man (she) had a family with” about Shaq himself. She explained that she enjoyed spending time with him. However, her feelings were mostly rooted in “building a life together.”
When these excerpts from Shaunie’s book made headlines, Shaquille reacted via Instagram on Wednesday (May 8).
“I understand… I wouldn’t be in love with myself either. Wishing you all the best (red emoji heard) All the love, Shaq,” He wrote. In the caption, he added: “Trust me, I understand.”
What happened between the ex-couple?
Shaq and Shaunie met in 1996 and married in 2002 in a super private ceremony. They first separated in 2007, then separated again in 2009, filing for divorce in 2010 and settling the following year. by people.
Over their time together, they welcomed four children – Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah Sanaa. Shaq also had two children before Shaunie named Myles and Taahirah.
In his 2011 memoir ‘Shaq Uncut: My Story’, he admitted to being unfaithful during his marriage. He added that he also slipped up with the “small team” and didn’t know how to be “the best partner.”
“At one time, my ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy, but I admit it – I was a guy. I was a guy with a lot of options. Choosing to be with some of these women, well, that’s on me. In my opinion, I never did it disrespectfully, but obviously I shouldn’t have done it all.”
Shaunie’s memories seem to agree with this view. In her new novel, Shaunie empathized with the pressure she must have endured to balance being an A-list celebrity with millions and being a family man.
“(Shaq) was trying to be a world-famous, thirty-something multimillionaire, with thousands of women throwing themselves at him and people in general just begging to be in his presence, while being a husband and father at the same time,” she was quoted as saying. . she wrote. “How could anyone know how to do that?”
RELATED: Shaq says he was to blame for Shaunie’s divorce
In 2021, Shaunie revealed at Tamron Hall that she and Shaq have a “great co-parenting relationship” now, after a difficult journey to get there. That same year, she got engaged to pastor Keion Henderson in November. They got married in May 2022.
Before and after the wedding, Shaq talked about the divorce being his fault and being a “jerk” to her, according to PEOPLE. He has not yet remarried.
Meanwhile, Shaunie’s husband recently went viral for telling his congregant to quit she screaming during the service. When asked about the moment in an interview, he spoke about church matters, chile!
RELATED: Pastor Keion Henderson Addresses Backlash After Telling Woman to Shut Up During Sermon (WATCH)