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Shaunie Henderson has claimed that Shaquille O'Neal had a habit of 'going missing' before their divorce in 2011.
Henderson and O'Neal got married in December of 2002 and share four children: sons Shareef and Shaquir and daughters Amirah and Me'arah. O'Neal also had a daughter, Taariah, from an earlier relationship. Meanwhile, Henderson's son Myles, also from a previous relationship, later took the center's surname.
In her new book 'Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms', the Basketball Wives creator narrated how she saw early signs of her marriage with O'Neal ending.
'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,' Henderson wrote, as reported by the New York Post.
'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 Henderson claimed Shaquille O'Neal kept 'going missing' before their divorce
The pair got married in 2002 and share four children, Shareef, Shaquir, Amirah,and Me'arah
In her new memoir, Henderson detailed the events leading up to them filing for divorce
Henderson recalled hearing rumors about O'Neal when they moved to Miami after the Lakers traded the center to the Heat in 2004.
'Take Shaquille's habit of 'going missing,'' Henderson recalled. 'Our chef did all the grocery shopping. His managers paid all the bills. I took care of the kids. So where was he going in the morning, during the day, and at night? No one works out that often.
'When we moved to Miami, I even heard a rumor that he had a condo in Miami Beach. I started to get suspicious, but he always had an answer, and I could never prove anything. Eventually, I was forced to admit that my family life wasn't as blissful or perfect as I wanted to believe.'
The four-time NBA champion has taken responsibility for the fallout of their marriage on several occasions.
In his 2011 memoir, 'Shaq Uncut: My Story,' Diesel explained that he 'was a guy with too many options,' and that indefinitely impacted their marriage.
In April 2023, O'Neal appeared on 'The Pivot Podcast' and said: 'I was bad, it was all me.'
O'Neal met Henderson during his championship days with the Los Angeles Lakers
The pair split up shortly after O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004
O'Neal filed for divorce in Miami in September of 2007 after admitting he 'wasn't protecting [Henderson] and protecting those vows.' However, the pair reconciled about a year later - with Henderson telling the Associated Press that they halted the divorce proceedings.
They called it quits again in 2009 before their divorce was finalized in 2011.
Over a decade later, in May 2022, Shaunie married Pastor Keion Henderson.
In an interview with singer Monica, O'Neal wished Henderson and her new groom well, saying: 'Shaunie was also a perfect woman and I messed it up.'
'I hope this gentleman treats her the way she's supposed to be treated, and I'm going to still love her,' O'Neal continued. 'She's still my wife. I will always protect, provide and love for her — married or not.'
English (US)