Though Shaquille O'Neal is now as known for being an outlandishly outspoken NBA analyst as he is for being one of the greatest players ever, he doesn't usually go into his personal life much.
But recently on the sports-centered podcast “The Pivot," the NBA Hall of Famer opened up and diverged outside the Xs and Os.
When the topic of his relationship with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal came up, O'Neal, 50, began, "I've never talked about this, and I'm glad you guys asked because I don't mind talking about this, but I was bad. She was awesome. She really was. It was all me."
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As proof, the legend admitted that while he might’ve been a consistent All-Star on the court, his wife was the MVP of their marriage.
"She did exactly what she was supposed to do,” O'Neal said, “and gave me beautiful kids, take care of the house, take care of the corporate stuff. It was just all me. Sometimes, when you make a lot of mistakes like that, you can't really come back from that."
What those “mistakes” were exactly, O'Neal did not want to detail, but simply summarized his actions as, "I wasn't protecting her and protecting those vows. Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up. I'm not going to say it was her; it was all me."
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As a more uplifting coda to their tale, as People reported, the two are back to being friends and have a respectful relationship while co-parenting their four kids, Shareef, 22, Amirah, 20, Shaqir, 19, and Me'arah, 15. (Shaunie is also mom to another son, Myles, 24, from a previous relationship.)
Shaunie, 47, is currently engaged to pastor Keion Henderson, after dating since February 2020.
"She's happy now," O'Neal said about the "Basketball Wives" star. "She's about to marry a fine, young gentleman, and I'm happy for her."
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