Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal — who was perhaps the most dominant player in the history of the NBA at the height of his powers — hasn’t been married in over 20 years. He got married to Shaunie Henderson back in 2002, and they had four children together, but the couple got divorced in 2010.
O’Neal recently hopped on a podcast with Chicago Sky star Angel Reese and explained why he thinks he won’t get remarried.
“Probably not,” O’Neal said when asked if he’s going to get married again. “I’m gonna end up alone. I already know. Because — no, ’cause ya’ll be makin’ rules up as we go along. There is no handbook on how to be the perfect man or perfect husband. I know it — there ain’t no handbook, and ya’ll be makin’ up s— without tellin’ us. If I’m not physically seein’ somebody — me the Diesel — I’m not physically seein’ somebody, and I’m with you every day and you know my schedule, shouldn’t matter what I’m doin’ on my phone. It’s not cheating, and then you can’t tell me, ‘That’s worse than cheating.’ Nah — it’s not. I just don’t understand that. So, but I already know imma end up bein’ alone.”
Reese garnered some attention not that long ago after a rumor came out which speculated that she was dating Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant. She later cleared the air on that rumor though and denied that her and the two-time NBA champion are romantically involved.
Angel Reese discusses the rumors about her & Kevin Durant dating.
“That was never a thing. I don’t even know how that became a thing because I sat next to him.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/VdwEvV65S1
— The Reese Effect 👑 (@TheReeseEffect) September 5, 2024
Folks started to speculate that Reese and Durant were dating after the two sat next to each other when Team USA’s women’s basketball faced off against Germany in an exhibition match in the summer.
O’Neal is getting up there in age, which means it might not be as easy for him to find a wife as it was earlier in his life, when he was one of the more recognizable athletes in the world. He is 52 years old, and he will turn 53 in the month of March.
The four-time NBA champion is also far removed from his playing days in the league. O’Neal’s final season in the NBA came with the Boston Celtics, when he played alongside Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. Across 37 appearances (36 starts) in the 2010-11 regular season, he averaged 9.2 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field while also contributing 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest.
While O’Neal isn’t the spring chicken he once was and no longer playing at a high level in the NBA, that doesn’t mean it’s set in stone that he will end up alone for the rest of his life. Hopefully, he will find that special someone and his future wife sooner rather than later.
