Over a decade has passed since Shaunie Henderson separated from Shaquille O’Neal, after a 7-year marriage. Despite the separation, the duo frequently comes under the NBA circle radars for a variety of reasons, co-parenting six children together, for instance. However, it struck differently when Shaunie doubted her love for the former Lakers Champion in her memoir Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms. Now, following up on that, the Basketball Wives Star is making another note on the recent episode of her podcast. 

It is The GrOOwZone Podcast run by the Henderson couple that calls attention. On this 17th episode of the show, they illuminate their relationship trajectory that culminated in a tropical island wedding on May 28, 2022, and continues its warmth. Contrasting with the extravagant Beverly Hills surprise wedding she had with O’Neal in the winter of 2002 many may wonder her motivations behind her choice. Here she has a perfect answer highlighting ‘The Big Aristotle’s fallacy fulfilled by Keion Henderson in their first meeting. 

Keion wondered what had turned them from strangers to someone with strong familiarity in that meeting. To a curious Paster Henderson who asked if it was something in him that attracted her or a part of herself that chimed with his, Shaunie went on to say: ” I don’t know, that had never happened to me before, I will say that, I’ve never gone on a first date and sat with somebody for past two hours and felt like I could have stayed longer. You know what I mean, It might have been a cool moment, but we literally talked for six hours and could have done another six without even thinking about it.”

If you look at it this occurred in contrast with her first meeting with ‘Shaq Daddy’ from the 1999 premiere of Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace where O’Neal tried to woo her for dinner only to get rejected. The later part of the podcast reasserts this angle. 

The 4xNBA Champion’s ex-wife went on to say: “I left there thinking wow that was nothing like I thought it was going to be, I absolutely enjoy being in his presence. I loved our conversation, we laughed, we got serious, we just were very brutally honest about a lot of different subjects and still liked each other in the midst of it all and when we left, so that was a first for me. But I do think that it was something there, you know like something that just sparked, you sparked something for me to where I had an immediate like oh my gosh I kind of like this guy.”

While this may burn some ‘Big O’Neal’ fans, O’Neal shares Shaunie’s happiness with her new life just as he had done in the past. In fact, he even has some shocking confessions about the mistakes that he made through the course of their relationship. 

Confessions of Big O’Neal about his marriage

In case you forgot, Shaquille O’Neal did respond to Henderson’s introspections on her relationship with him from the memoir saying, “I understand…I wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best. All love, Shaq.” As we speculate a similar response, we could just explore O’Neal’s takes on his other fallacies that lead to a failed marriage. 

‘The Big Shamrock’ who often carried NBA games on his shoulder also took a similar path in his personal life by accepting his failures of the wedlock with Henderson. “She was awesome. She really was. It was all me … I wasn’t protecting her and protecting those vows,” revealed the 4xNBA Champion on The Pivot Podcast Episode aired back in April 2022. 

This is only one of the reiterations of his infidelity confessions which was done as early as 2011 through his memoir Shaq Uncut: My Story. “I was a guy with too many options. Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that’s on me,” wrote the gentle Big Men. In another recent response to People Magazine, this reverberated with guilt:  “I was a d–k head. You don’t know how good you got something till it’s gone.”

However, to the fans’ relief, Henderson ensured to portray O’Neal’s better picture in her memoir. “But he was just so charming and funny that I couldn’t help but enjoy his company,” at one point the First Lady of LH Houston Church recollects their first meeting. Even though O’Neal has his share of regrets a positive aura perpetuates around their continued co-parenting and friendship. 

So there is more than hope to believe that this podcast by Shaunie Henderson wouldn’t affect this mighty relationship.