(NewsInsights.org) – Sometimes, happily-ever-after doesn’t live up to the hype. In the US, that broken promise results in nearly half of all marriages ending in divorce. Like all losses, people deal with the grief of divorce in different ways. On Tuesday, May 7, Shaunie Henderson released her memoir, “Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms” through Simon and Schuster. Her book detailed her 2002 marriage to and 2011 divorce from basketball superstar Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal as part of her growth journey.
Henderson, who remarried in 2022 to Houston mega-church pastor Keion Henderson, described how the slow erosion of her marriage to Shaq felt akin to the early stages of illness, “so mild that you’re not even sure you are sick.” She said that all the activity surrounding raising four children and her husband’s constant travel schedule kept her from noticing or questioning all the time she was missing with him as part of a couple.
She explained her dawning realization that Shaq paid people to manage household and business affairs, and she cared for their children. Yet, he was constantly gone at odd hours. “Eventually, I was forced to admit that my family life wasn’t as […] perfect as I […] believe[d].”
However, Henderson dropped a bombshell when she wrote that she wasn’t sure whether she “was ever really in love with the man.” Instead, she mused that she might have loved the concept of marrying the man with whom she had a family.
She and Shaq had two children, Shareef and Amirah, before they married in 2002. They had two more, Shaqir and Me’arah, after they tied the knot. Each also had a child from a previous relationship.
While some men might have reacted negatively to Henderson’s revelation, Shaq posted a supportive message to his former wife on Instagram. He said, “I understand… I wouldn’t have been in love with me either.” The former NBA superstar wished his ex “all the best” and signed off with “all love.” In comments, he added, “Trust me, I get it.”
In his 2011 memoir, O’Neal shouldered the blame for his marriage’s demise, calling himself “a guy with too many options.” During a 2023 podcast interview with singer Monica, Shaq told the singer his ex was “a perfect woman,” and he had “messed up” the relationship. He wished Henderson and her new husband well, hoping her new husband would treat her better.
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