We never thought that Shaunie’s ex and current husbands would have something like this in common. But that’s how fate panned out. In a rare moment of disclosure, Keion Henderson spoke about his childhood on The GrOOwZone Podcast and the pastor was a mischievous kid. Interestingly, some of his childhood experiences go parallel to Shaquille O’Neal’s, Shaunie Henderson’s ex-husband. Both assumed a role in their households when their biological fathers were out of the picture.

It stemmed from an innocent discussion about who got ‘whoopings’ as a child. Shaunie rarely got disciplined but Keion was a contrasting case. Although he admitted he got in trouble a lot, he also said, “I didn’t deserve all the ones I got either. I think my mother sometimes I was the only boy and  I saw my sisters get away with things that I couldn’t get away with.”

Keion and Shaunie discussed the concept of ‘man of the house‘ prevalent in black family culture this week. He revealed last week that he was the product of an affair and his biological father was a deadbeat. Growing up with sisters and raised by his mother alone, Keion stated that role fell on him at a young age. His mother told eight-year-old Keion, “you were the man of the house,” after her divorce. With it, he got disciplined more sternly too.

Henderson’s description matched the talk Shaq got too. His biological father, Joseph Toney, walked away as soon as Lucille O’Neal told him she was pregnant. Lucille married Phillip Harrison who was Shaq’s only father figure. He was a principled military vet who emphasized that Shaq and his brother, Jamal, had to be the ‘man of the house’ for their mother and sisters. He led by example too.

“Growing up with my father-Sergeant… he teaches you man’s job was to protect, provide and love, period,” Shaq said about the late Harrison who passed away in 2013. “Like I could remember times like on Christmas, he said, ‘hey, man when you have daughters you’ll understand this. The daughters want the Barbies and the Barbie house and the Barbie cars. I can’t afford all that s**t right now. So, let me take care of the ladies first and then I get back to you.’”

Even Shaunie admitted in the past that Shaq has strong feelings about being a provider. Most of it stems from the Sarge. And Shaq is carrying it forward as a dad himself.

Shaq is different from Keion Henderson’s parents

Shaquille O’Neal also received tough disciplining from Harrison. He didn’t hold it against him. In fact, he claimed that Harrison made him a better person.

Like Keion growing up alongside his sisters, the O’Neal ladies get some leeway in the house. Shaq openly admits he’s tougher on his sons – Myles, Shareef, and Shaqir – than on his daughters, – Taahirah, Amirah, and Me’Arah. “I don’t want my guys to hear this and feel disrespected but I got a lot more love for the girls than I do for the boys.” 

Shaq jokes that it upsets his sons a tad and Keion perhaps relates to them. When it comes to the O’Neal kids, Shaunie strikes a balance. “I never told my boys they were the man of the house,” she tells Keion.

O’Neal would hardly mind. He credits Shaunie (as well as Taahirah’s mom, Arnetta Yardbourgh) for raising “perfect” kids. And unlike Keion’s parents, Shaq has never given his kids a “whooping.“