4x NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal, known for his larger-than-life persona both on and off the court, has shown remarkable growth and maturity over the years, a stark contrast to the man he was during his marriage to Shaunie Nelson in the early 2000s.
Now, the former Lakers star is giving couples advice and hoping to help people save their relationships, in ways that he was unable to do when he had a wife.
During a recent episode of his podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” O’Neal offered thoughtful advice during the “Ask Dr. O’Neal” segment.
A listener, a mother concerned about her partner’s frequent marijuana use and job instability, emailed a question asking for guidance when dealing with her partner.
She explained, “My child’s father works hard and is a good man but he smokes a lot of [weed] and loses jobs left and right, so I’m the main breadwinner. I hate that we are always financially unstable. I want more out of my life, but he doesn’t want the same.”
“I want to leave,” she continued. “But at the same time, I want my child to have both parents at home. What’s the best way to handle this?”
O’Neal responded with empathy, acknowledging the difficulty of her situation.
“I would tell her to try to communicate better with him to see if they can work it out, but in every relationship, you need to be happy,” he advised, adding, “Unhappy wife, unhappy life. So if you’re not happy, things are not going to work out and probably end up costing both of you. I would just say try to communicate your feelings to him and see what he wants to do.”
Shaq continued, offering a more personal reflection about a way she can motivate him to be better for the family.
“Lift your man the best that you can because men go through a lot,” the sports analyst said. “I know you women go through a lot, but men go through a lot of pressures. … Maybe if you can lift him up more, maybe you can help him out.”
This level of maturity is a far cry from O’Neal in 2002, when he married Shaunie Nelson (Henderson). The couple’s relationship was marred by rumors of infidelity, including an alleged affair between the NBA baller and family friend Laura Govan. Their marriage ended in 2009, with their divorce finalized in 2011.
In hindsight, Shaq has taken responsibility for the breakdown of their relationship.
The NBA legend has admitted to cheating on Henderson, both in interviews and in his 2011 memoir, “Shaq Uncut: My Story.”
Once, in a 2022 interview on “The Pivot” podcast, Shaq said, “I was bad. She was awesome. It was all me. We don’t need to talk about what I was doing, but I wasn’t protecting her and wasn’t protecting the vows.”
Update: Video Footage & Audio
Shaquill O’Neal shares that he was at fault for his divorce from Shaunie O’Neal. Shaq said “I wasn’t protecting her and wasn’t protecting the vows”#shaquilloneal #shaunieoneal pic.twitter.com/DJD1K4FUhn
— Media On Blast 🟢 (@mediaonblast) April 19, 2022
Reflecting on their split, Henderson later revealed in her own autobiography, “Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms,” that there was a breakdown in communication between the two and that played a significant role in their marriage’s demise.
She also dropped a bombshell that shocked the 15-time All-Star player’s fans.
“Looking back, I don’t know that I was ever really in love with the man, but I was in love with the idea of being married to the man I had a family with,” she wrote.
The passage went viral creating discourse about how appropriate it was for her to say something like that publicly.
It also prompted a response from the Big Aristotle on Instagram with a heartfelt message: “Trust me, I get it. I understand…wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best… all love. Shaq.”
Now, both O’Neal and Henderson have moved forward, focusing on co-parenting their children — Amirah, Shaqir, Shareef, Me’arah, and Myles — in a blended family. Henderson has since remarried, tying the knot with Pastor Keion Henderson, who has emerged as a very present bonus dad.
Henderson said that her relationship with O’Neal is much stronger in the present day.
“We have a great relationship now,” she expressed in an interview on the “Tamron Hall” show, highlighting their commitment to raising their children together.
Even with this commitment, there are sometimes-uncomfortable situation of having both men and her new husband at major events for the kids.
O’Neal’s journey from an NBA superstar with a troubled marriage to a more introspective and emotionally aware individual seems to speak volumes about his growth. His willingness to offer advice, from a space of reflection possibly on his past mistake highlights a transformation that few would have expected two decades ago.
