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Shaquille O’Neal has had some turbulence and tumbles as he got married and divorced.
Though the basketball legend is widely beloved for his personality and for some of his more entertaining purchases.
But he has also admitted to making mistakes over the years.
Some of which led to his divorce.
Yes, Shaquille O’Neal has been married and divorced
On December 26, 2002, Shaquille O’Neal married Shaunie Nelson.
In addition to each having a child from a previous relationship, the two welcomed four children. Famously, Shareef O’Neal is one of them.
However, the marriage was not to last.
In September of 2007, Shaq filed for divorce.
He would later withdraw the divorce petition, explaining that the couple was back together. It happens!
But in November of 2009, it was Shaunie’s turn to file. This signaled the true end of their marriage.
In 2011, the two finalized their divorce.
Why did the marriage end?
In her new book, Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms, Shaunie delved into the downfall of her marriage to the basketball legend.
She shared that her erstwhile husband leaving the Lakers (a Los Angeles basketball team) and their family moving to Miami made it clear that something wasn’t right.
“I enjoyed those sweet early years being a mother and raising my children,” she reflects.
“My days were always busy with kids and family, and every now and then I got to travel or enjoy a little of the NBA high life.”
“But invisibly, my marriage was beginning to crumble,” Shaunie writes of where things fell apart with Shaquille O’Neal. “As I’ve written, it wasn’t obvious early on.”
She explains with an analogy:
“You know how when you first get sick, and the symptoms are so mild that you’re not even sure you are sick?” That is a familiar concept.
“That’s how things were in the early years,” Shaunie characterizes.
“I was busy and happy and didn’t notice what was going on. But as the disease progressed, the symptoms became harder and harder to ignore.”
‘No one works out that often’
“Take Shaquille’s habit of ‘going missing,’” Shaunie writes. “Our chef did all the grocery shopping. His managers paid all the bills. I took care of the kids.”
She asks: “So where was he going in the morning, during the day, and at night? No one works out that often.”
Shaunie grows even more direct:
“When we moved to Miami, I even heard a rumor that he had a condo in Miami Beach. I started to get suspicious, but he always had an answer, and I could never prove anything. Eventually, I was forced to admit that my family life wasn’t as blissful or perfect as I wanted to believe.”
From 2010 until 2012, Shaquille O’Neal was in a relationship with reality TV personality Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander.
In early 2014, he began a relationship with model Laticia Rolle. That romance lasted until March of 2018.
Shaq is a legend that transcends his sports career.
He could get married and divorced again in the future. Hopefully, he will avoid repeating past mistakes.
Shaquille O’Neal Divorced: His History of Marriage, Explained was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
