“Thought I Was In Love”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Mom Suffers Same Tragic Fate as Ex-DIL Shaunie

“I thought I was in love with this man…” – Sounds something out of Shaunie Henderson’s memoir. But, no. This is what Dr. Lucille O’Neal said about her ex. The story of Shaquille O’Neal and his mom explains their bond clearly. Lucille O’Neal was only 17 when she became a mom. A single mother at that. She had her mother’s support but from the start, she took full responsibility to raise her son. Shaq’s biological father was never in the picture and they’d reconnect as adults. By then, O’Neal himself was married, divorced, and a father of six. On Raising Fame, Lucille went from host to subject, recalling her start in parenthood. Five decades later, Lucille’s story sounds closer to her former daughter-in-law than her son’s.

She told Sonya Curry about her relationship with Joseph Toney, Shaq’s biological father, “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.”

Sound familiar? Remember, a certain line from a recent memoir that went viral? “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,” is what Shaunie Henderson said about her husband of eight years, Shaquille O’Neal in her 2024 memoir, Undefeated.

The couple has been divorced since 2011 but this statement hit across cyberspace, especially when Shaq responded to it. And Lucille had her own opinions about it.

However, she paints a scenario on Raising Fame that sounds nearly identical. Toney had refused all responsibility and left everything to Lucille. She said, “When Shaquille was born, I was proud, I wanted to be a mother, and I wanted to be a good mother but sometimes you know your partner, they don’t want that.” 

That formed Shaq and Lucille’s unbreakable bond. She’s call him, “My son,” and not ‘their son’ because his father had no part in his life. She felt similarly protective of him regarding Shaunie’s recent comments.

Lucille O’Neal’s thoughts about Shaq’s ex

When Shaunie Henderson was about to release her memoir, Shaq dispelled any rumors of tension and was supportive. His response to the contentious line was a post that read: “I understand. I wouldn’t have been in love with me either.” Shaunie claimed that the lines were taken out of context and there’s been no evidence of animosity between both co-parents.

Shortly after Undefeated was released, Lucille was also on the press circuit for Raising Fame. She revealed on Sway in the Morning that she gets along with her three younger children’s partners. But, regarding Shaq’s marriage to Shaunie, she bluntly stated, “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.”

So no, Lucille didn’t think Shaq and Shaunie were meant to be nor will she feel very empathetic for her. Their sentiments will be the only parallel they have in common.

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.