Shaq on what caused his divorce when he was in Miami: ‘I was living a double life’
Regrets: Does Shaquille O’Neal have a few?
On Tuesday’s Pivot Podcast, the basketball legend again blamed himself for his failed marriage to Shaunie Nelson.
Better said: He blames himself for giving in to all the temptations in Miami.
Yes: O’Neal’s divorce from Nelson was finalized in 2011, but their issues began in 2007, when Shaq was still with the Miami Heat and they’d been married five years.
The parents of four initially reconciled, with Shaunie filing to call the whole thing off in 2009.
Can you blame her? O’Neal basically admitted he was not a one-woman man back then.
“Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up,” lamented the Hall of Famer. “I was just being greedy. I had the perfect situation. Wife was finer than a mug, kept giving me babies, still finer than a mug.”
READ MORE: Shaq throws huge 50th birthday party in Miami
This is hardly news to fans of the big guy: In his 2011 memoir, “Shaq Uncut: My Story,” he wrote infidelity caused the marriage to spiral: “I was a guy with too many options.”
Shaunie Nelson made out OK, with O’Neal reportedly still paying the 47-year-old “Basketball Wives” star $10,000 in alimony and another $10,000 in child support a month.
More good news: The two are coparenting amicably and Nelson is engaged to celebrity pastor Keion Henderson.
Plus, she’s now vindicated.
“I had it all, and I don’t make excuses,” said the part-time Fort Lauderdale resident. “I know I messed up.”
READ MORE: Shaq finally sells huge Orlando mansion
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 1:26 PM.
