“Nobody Knew That”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Ex-Wife Was Forced to Hide Family Secrets Due to Unspoken Rule

Shaquille O’Neal‘s ex-wife, Shaunie, opened up about her struggles for the first time in her book, Undefeated. It was challenging yet liberating at the same time. Most people aren’t even aware that the mother of five initially worked as a church secretary. There are many more such details about her personal life that remain unknown to the public. And now, the Basketball Wives star has recently revealed an unspoken family rule behind this secrecy.

While speaking on The GrOOwZone Podcast, the First Lady of Lighthouse Church shared that the secrecy around her life was a rule that her mother had subtly taught her since childhood. They weren’t allowed to discuss anything related to family matters outside the house. As a result, nobody knew that Shaunie had two half-sisters.

“It was a thing you know, not to discuss our business outside of the home so it was almost like when I was an adult my life was almost a secret but it wasn’t a bad secret it wasn’t like we had these you know horrible secrets in the house but it was like I had two half sisters, nobody knew that. You know they just didn’t know my life for real,” Shaunie confessed.

It’s easy to imagine this. Shaunie also had a very private wedding ceremony when she married the Los Angeles Lakers legend O’Neal. The two secretly tied the knot in 2002 at a lavish event held at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

No cameras were allowed inside the hotel, which explains a lot and only proves the practice of this rule. When asked about the consequences of breaking the family rule, Shaunie clarified that she never did. That’s why, no one knew about her former job and her feelings about the same either.

Shaunie Henderson hated her job at Church for one thing

This revelation came as quite a shock to many fans. On the GrOOwZone Podcast, Shaunie revealed that she had worked as a church secretary for over a year. However, there was one factor that troubled her. Although she loved growing up in the church, Shaunie couldn’t handle the demands and expectations of the job. 

“Grace and Church are just expected. At a level that is almost unrealistic and being the Church Secretary, that young, I remember going home and telling my mom like I hate it there like I grew up in this church and I loved it,” the mother of five explained.

Now, she regularly joins her husband for Sunday services and maintains great friendships with those around her. She smiles and nods confidently when people refer to her as the First Lady, though she hides her discomfort with the title. “For me, it’s just uncomfortable, first lady is uncomfortable. It’s just one of those you know having somebody kind of cater to you all the time is uncomfortable, but that’s just for me,” she once said on the podcast.

Despite her discomfort, Shaunie embraces her role with grace, continuing to support her husband and community.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.