Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Henderson (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Shaunie Henderson, a well-known TV personality and ex-wife of former NBA player turned analyst Shaquille O’Neal, stated her doubts about having feelings for Shaq in her book “Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning On My Own Terms,” to which the 52-year-old responded.

“Looking back, I don’t know that I was ever really in love with the man, but I was in love with the idea of being married to the man I had a family with,” wrote Shaunie. While the fans were stunned by the revelation, O’Neal gracefully acknowledged the matter and wrote on his Instagram handle, “I understand…I wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best. All love, Shaq.”

The couple got married in December 2002 and have four children together. After years of struggles in their marriage life, the pair decided to part ways and finalized their divorce in 2011. Though things looked all glittery, there were complexities in their relationship which have been disclosed.

Shaquille O’Neal’s Wife Reveals Why Their Marriage Did Not Work

Shaunie has openly talked about her failed marriage with Shaquille O’Neal and why it led to a divorce in her book. The producer of “Basketball Wives” mentioned that she enjoyed her early days of motherhood when she was mostly occupied with the children while her marriage life was on the verge of deteriorating.

Although she liked the perks of being married to a celebrity like the Lakers center, she could not ignore his absence from family life. Shaunie felt that his frequent workouts were not a sufficient explanation for his absence.

“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,” Shaunie wrote.

She figured out that the 15-time NBA All-Star had his eyes set on being a multimillionaire at a young age surrounded by multiple attractive women who would do anything for his presence. Shaq had earlier held himself responsible for the failure of their charming relationship, which proves Shaunie’s claims to be right.