Shaquille O’Neal has revealed how he’s let ‘two perfect women’ slip away and how he’s teaching his son to treat women in a brutally honest interview on his personal life.
Appearing on the first episode of R&B icon Monica’s ‘MoTalk Radio’ on Apple Music, the 50-year-old retired NBA superstar opened up on regrets that have affected his life behind closed doors.
‘I had two perfect women and I messed it up,’ said Shaq. ‘My first one was my baby mother, Arnetta [Yardbourgh], and then I met Shaunie [Nelson]. Shaunie was also a perfect woman and I messed it up.
‘Yeah, you know, we were young and always just doing dumb stuff. But, the good thing about our relationship is they forgave me and we have a good relationship now. But when you ask me about the perfect women — I had two perfect women and I messed it up, just by, you know being dumb.’
The four-time NBA champion and one-time league MVP (2000) proceeded to give his top tips to men trying to find love out there so that they don’t repeat similar mistakes to the ones he previously committed.
Shaquille O’Neal, 50, opened up on his love life on Monica’s ‘Mo Talk Radio’ on Apple, Sunday
O’Neal shares four children with ex-wife, Shaunie Nelson. They were married from 2002-2011
Shaq with his ‘baby mama’ and high school sweetheart Arnetta Yardbourgh (far left) and their daughter Taahirah
‘[…] First thing you have to be is honest, honest with yourself and honest with your partner… I tell my sons all the time, a man has three jobs when it comes to a woman. Protect, provide and love.
‘Some men can only offer two, for whatever reason, but I’ma teach you how to offer all three. And that’s what I try to do — and even though I don’t have a relationship with the women I let get away, I will always PPL: protect, provide, and love, whatever they need they get it from me.’
Shaq then opened up on his thoughts on Shaunie marrying pastor Keion Henderson in May 2022 — 11 years after the former Laker and Shaunie’s divorce was finalized (in 2011). The 15-time All-Star’s marriage to Shaunie lasted nine years after the pair said ‘I do’ in 2002.
‘I hope this gentleman treats her the way she’s supposed to be treated, and I’m going to still love her,’ he said. ‘She’s still my wife. I will always protect, provide and love for her — married or not.’
O’Neal and Shaunie share four kids together: Shareef, who’s vying for a spot in the NBA as a power forward/center; Amirah, Shaqir and Me’arah. Shaunie also has one son from a previous relationship, Myles, who eventually took O’Neal’s surname.
Shaq is also the father to Taahirah, his daughter and only child from his relationship with Yardbourgh, who he called his ‘first love.’ Taahirah was born in 1996.
Not much is known from O’Neal’s relationship with Yardbrough. The pair are pictured posing for a selfie with daughter Taahirah
O’Neal (far right) and Shaunie (far left) with their kids: Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir & Me’arah in ’19
Shaq on his ex-wife, Shaunie: ‘I will always protect, provide and love for her — married or not’
‘I’ll always be there for them,’ said the NBA on TNT analyst. ‘If they want to get married and find people better than me, I understand that, I accept that.’
Last year, while chatting on The Pivot Podcast in April, Shaq revealed that he was ‘bad’ during his marriage to Shaunie – a former Basketball Wives star.
‘I’m glad you guys asked because I don’t mind talking about this, but I was bad,’ O’Neal said. ‘She was awesome. She really was. It was all me.’
Shaq added that he ‘wasn’t protecting’ his ex-wife at the time and ‘wasn’t protecting those vows’ throughout their marriage of nine years.
‘Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to say it was her. She did exactly what she was supposed to do 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.’
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
