"It was not hard to fall for his charm" - Shaquille O'Neal's ex-wife Shaunie Henderson reminisces first encounter with $500 million NBA legend
Shaquille O'Neal was married to Shaunie Nelson from 2002 to 2011, and they had four children together. O'Neal also adopted Nelson's son from a previous relationship. They have been co-parenting their kids since their divorce was finalized, with Nelson marrying pastor Keion Henderson in May 2022.
In her new book titled "Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms," Shaunie told the story of how she met the four-time NBA champion. It happened in 1999 at the premiere of "Star Wars: Episode 1–The Phantom Menace" in Los Angeles.
"It was not hard to fall for his charm. I staffed the premiere of 'Star Wars: Episode 1–The Phantom Menace' for Fox. I was checking in special guests, and Shaquille wasn't even on the guest list, but he was such a big deal in LA that nobody cared when he showed up unannounced.
"My bosses let him in the theater, but he ended up spending most of the movie in the lobby, trying to talk to me," Henderson wrote. [H/T New York Post]
Shaquille O'Neal and Shaunie Nelson began dating afterward and immediately became one of the most powerful couples in the NBA.
Their marriage produced four children – Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me'arah. O'Neal also has a daughter from a previous relationship named Taahirah, while adopting Shaunie's son Myles.
Shaunie also opened up about her marriage with O'Neal and what it was like to live lavishly as an NBA wife. She even discussed what led to their divorce, as well as finding love again and getting married in 2022.
"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. I was in love with the idea of building a life together.
"I truly did enjoy spending time with him. Road trips gave me a chance to be with my husband and experience the NBA life for a little while," Henderson wrote.
Shaquille O'Neal blames himself for divorce with ex-wife
The current relationship between Shaquille O'Neal and Shaunie Henderson is amicable and very friendly.
They have some form of chemistry and made co-parenting work. However, the LA Lakers legend blamed himself for their marriage falling apart and took sole responsibility for its demise.
"I was a d*ckhead. You don't know how good you got something till it's gone. And guess what? It's your fault. I was living the good life," O'Neal told PEOPLE Magazine in November 2022.
Shaquille O'Neal also acknowledged that his lifestyle hurt his relationship with his children, missing important dates and events along the way. He's happy that he's able to grow and mature and have a relationship with all of his six children.