News

Shaquille O’Neal Admits He ‘Messed Up’ Marriage With Shaunie Nelson

Shaquille O’Neal opened up as he has never done before in an interview for The Pivot Podcast hosted by several fellow athletes where he discussed his 2011 divorce from ex-wife Shaunie Nelson.

“I never talk about this but I’m glad you guys asked me, cause I don’t mind talking about this,” O’Neal said. He then quickly and frankly assessed his marriage saying, “But I was bad. She was awesome, she really was, it was all me. We don’t need to talk about what I was doing, but I wasn’t protecting her and protecting those vows. Sometimes when you live that double life you get caught up in it.”

He also added that he “made a lot of mistakes,” in their marriage despite her willingness to take care of their kids and even taking care of him to a large extent while they were together. He also reflected fondly on fatherhood and pleasant moments while their family was together, including a game called “Dog Man” he’d play with his kids every time he came home. He then said with misty eyes, “Look, I was just being greedy, I had the perfect situation.”

The two were married from 2002 to 2011. O’Neal first filed for a divorce in 2007, but they then reconciled. Nelson then filed her first intent to divorce two years later in 2009, citing irreconcilable differences. Shaq said after their divorce, “I was lost. 76,000 thousand square foot house by yourself, lost. No kids, go to the gym, nobody’s playing in the gym. You go to their room, nobody’s there.”

O’Neal said he was able to fight himself out of his funk by telling himself, “Ok, you’re not married, but you still have to protect and provide for this family. Get your ass, man up, let’s go. What are you going to do next? Because I may not be a husband, but I’ll always be a father, and a father’s job is to protect, provide and love.”

Jacob Linden

Recent Posts

Angry Crowds Throw Mud & Eggs At Spanish King Felipe & Queen Letizia After Flooding Kills Over 200 People

Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia were met with mud and eggs thrown by locals…

59 mins ago

Selena Gomez Hits Back At Body-Shaming Comments, Revealing Her Struggle With Intestinal Disorder

Selena Gomez clapped back at online trolls who body-shamed her during her red carpet appearance…

2 hours ago

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Caught Slamming His Team In Viral Live TV Moment: ‘We F— Suck!’

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was caught criticizing his team on a live TV broadcast following…

8 hours ago

VIDEO: Hurricane Rafael Topples Stadium Floodlight Pylon Toppled in Cuba

https://youtu.be/0Ajjle4Kmq4 Dramatic footage shows winds from Hurricane Rafael toppling floodlights at a baseball stadium in…

8 hours ago

VIDEO: Road Worker Narrowly Dodges Truck On New York Highway

https://youtu.be/zv6oTyRE18w A road worker narrowly missed being hit by a truck in upstate New York…

9 hours ago

Brian Austin Green Tells Tori Spelling He ‘Doesn’t Recall’ First Time He Slept With Her

Spelling further recalled that the two then started kissing, and Green interrupted, “Wait, what? I…

10 hours ago