"I always take her to meet my mother" - Shaquille O'Neal only had one test when it came to dating women
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has never been one to shy away from discussing his personal life.
Back in 1994, just a couple of years after he was drafted, the then-Orlando Magic big man did an extensive interview with Sports Illustrated. During the interview, O’Neal spoke about a variety of topics to help fans get to know him better, including how he chose his relationships.
O’Neal told SI that he had a test that he conducted to see if a woman was the right match for him. First, he would observe how demanding each woman was of him after they met. The big man would then take any potential partner to meet his mother, Lucille O'Neal.
According to Shaq, he would let his mother be the judge of each woman's character. If she didn’t like them, he would stop pursuing a relationship.
“I have a little test I put women through,” O'Neal said.
“Anytime I meet someone and she starts asking for things right off the bat, she's not the one for me. And I always take her to meet my mother. If my mother doesn't like her, I say, ‘Can't go with you, I'm sorry. You're beautiful and you're pretty and you're sweet, but I'm sorry—my mother doesn't like you.’
“Well, maybe I don't really say that, but I do put them through things to make them break up with me. By the time I'm done, I have them thinking I'm crazy.”
O’Neal added that he hoped he would be able to find a partner who could put up with his mood swings.
“I just hope I can find a woman who can put up with my mood changes because I go through these mood changes sometimes and I don't want to talk to anybody,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal went on to get married to Shaunie Nelson in 2002 and the two had four children together. However, the couple divorced in 2011 due to what they described as an “irretrievably broken” marriage. The big man has since taken responsibility for his failed marriage.
Also read: Who is Shaquille O'Neal's ex-wife and how did she meet the 4x NBA champion?
Shaquille O'Neal on his divorce
During an appearance on the “Pivot Podcast” last year, Shaquille O'Neal spoke about his failed marriage with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal. The NBA legend took the full blame for the couple's nine-year marriage coming to an end, saying that he was living a double life.
“I've never talked about this, and I'm glad you guys asked because I don't mind talking about this, but I was bad. She was awesome. She really was. It was all me,” O’Neal said.
“I wasn't protecting her and protecting those vows. Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up. I'm not going to say it was her; it was all me.”
O’Neal added that his ex-wife did everything she could to make their relationship work and that he didn’t reciprocate her effort.
“She did exactly what she was supposed to do and gave me beautiful kids, take care of the house, take care of the corporate stuff. It was just all me,” O’Neal said.
“Sometimes, when you make a lot of mistakes like that, you can't really come back from that.”
Also read: Shaquille O'Neal once paid for a shy fan who was struggling to buy an engagement ring - "This is something I do every day"