Shaquille O’Neal took to Instagram to respond to the release of his ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson’s memoir, in which the executive producer admitted that she was unsure she was ever really in love with the former NBA player.
In her memoir titled UNDEFEATED: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Terms, which was released on May 7, 49-year-old Henderson wrote, “Looking back, I don’t know that I was ever really in love with the man [Shaq].”
The pair were together from the late 1990s until 2009 when Henderson finally filed for separation from Shaq.
Henderson’s 2011 memoir, Shaq Uncut: My Story, shares more details about her former marriage to NBA star Shaq and why they decided to split.
Henderson explained in her memoir that she “was in love with the idea of being married to the man I had a family with.” Henderson continued, “I was in love with the idea of building a life together. I truly did enjoy spending time with him. [NBA] road trips allowed me to be with my husband and experience the NBA life for a little while.”
“He was trying to be a world-famous, thirty-something multimillionaire with thousands of women throwing themselves at him and people in general begging just to be in his presence while being a husband and a father simultaneously. How could anyone possibly know how to do that?”
Shaq and Henderson have four children together: two sons, Shareef and Shaqir, and two daughters, Amirah and Me’arah.
Shaq took to Instagram on May 9 to share a heartfelt message in response to Henderson’s words within her memoir. He wrote, “I understand…I wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best. All love, Shaq.”
Shaq captioned the post, “Trust me, I get it.”
The message received waves of genuine support for his accountability and self-awareness in the comment section.
Shaq and Henderson’s son Shareef wrote, “I love you, man! You saved my life. You are literally the most lovable and likable person on the planet!”
Rapper Rick Ross commented with a “100” emoji, and Kenya Barris — the creator of Black-ish, added “Class Act” in the comments.
