Love has made its way toward Lucille O’Neal. The mother of four has dedicated most of her life to her kids and husband. After being heartbroken by someone she thought she had loved, Ms. O’Neal found love again in O’Neal’s stepfather, Phillip Arthur Harrison. He passed away in 2013. It took years of heartbreaking experiences for Ms. O’Neal to understand herself and what she wants. As she opened up about her dating life, the mother of four revealed an important lesson.

Speaking to Brandi Harvey on the Vault Empowers, she declared that she would be open to dating if the right person showed up. In fact, she revealed that she has been dating someone. While it’s not serious, she is happy and content in her new relationship. “I have been dating…It’s just dating. It depends on the person you know how serious it’s going to be. It’s nothing serious. It’s just dating,” O’Neal said.

Speaking of embracing healthy practice, she added, “I’m not one of those women that they call really thirsty. I don’t, I don’t have to have that right now cuz I’m really happy not being domesticated and I’m really happy with just pouring into Lucille right now.”

She was just 17 when she got pregnant with Shaquille O’Neal. But her partner and O’Neal’s biological father, Joseph Toney, wasn’t ready to accept a family and the responsibilities that came with it. However, Lucille wasn’t going to back down. She decided to raise O’Neal on her own. As a single mother, she did everything for her child since she didn’t receive love or support from O’Neal’s biological father. But looking back on her relationship, she feels that she wasn’t truly in love with him.

Speaking to Sonya Curry on Raising Fame, the mother of four opened up about her dilemma. “You find yourself looking for love in the wrong places so that’s what happened in my case and I thought I was in love with this man and to be honest, didn’t know what love really was,” Lucille O’Neal said about her marriage. But right now, she is more about pouring the love on herself and that seems to be working for her!

Perhaps that’s why she had an odd response to her ex-daughter-in-law, Shaunie Henderson, who went through a similar situation while in a relationship with the Los Angeles Lakers legend.

What does Lucille O’Neal think about Shaq’s ex-wife Shaunie Henderson

After Shaunie’s book Undefeated was launched, Lucille O’Neal was asked about her son’s ex-wife during a conversation on Sway in the Morning. “It’s hard to see them go into a relationship and somehow you may feel maybe that might not be the right relationship. But, we have to step back and we have to let it happen,” she said about Shaunie and Shaquille O’Neal’s relationship. Furthermore, Shaunie in her book revealed how O’Neal thought that he wasn’t cut out for marriage.

It has been over a year since Shaunie married Pastor Keion Henderson, becoming the First Lady of The Lighthouse Church. And it has been more than a decade since she separated from her ex-husband, Shaquille O’Neal. After all these years, Shaunie finally opened up about their tumultuous split in her book Undefeated.

While many readers found her journey as a businesswoman, NBA wife, and mother inspiring, others took issue with one of her statements. Shaunie revealed that during her marriage to Shaq, she was more in love with the idea of a relationship than with the man himself. “Looking back, 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,” Shaunie wrote.

This remark quickly sparked heated debates online. Interestingly, it aligns with what Lucille O’Neal had previously expressed. Her comments on Shaq and Shaunie’s relationship hints that perhaps she saw it before Shaunie.