"Shaunie O'Neal Opens Up About Divorce from Shaq and Finding New Love with Pastor Keion Henderson"

Shaunie Henderson has only experienced true love with two men: her father and her new husband, Pastor Keion Henderson. Feeling safe and free to speak her truth, she has published her memoir, “Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms.” In the book, she offers new insights into her first marriage with retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaunie and Shaq were married for nearly a decade before divorcing in 2011, with his infidelities and wandering eye being significant factors in their split. In a recent interview with ABC News, Shaunie revealed that her late father’s love gave her the strength to leave her marriage. She described her father as her protector who made her feel safe, a feeling she didn’t have with O’Neal. “I loved love, right, and I still love love, and my dad kind of instilled in me this safety, like the man in your life, your partner, is supposed to make you feel safe,” Shaunie explained.
Her father passed away in March 2022, just weeks before she married Pastor Keion Henderson in a destination wedding. Shaunie, who has five children-four with O’Neal and one from a previous relationship-shared that her romantic love for Shaq faded due to his affairs. “When you don’t feel that at some point, then it’s, you lose the trust, you lose that, that pillow of comfort,” she said. “I think I just figured out that you know everybody receives love in a different way, and if you don’t learn that from your partner, then you’re kind of lost the entire time.”
In May, Shaunie made headlines when an excerpt from her book questioned if she ever really loved O’Neal. She clarified to ABC’s Robin Roberts that the passage was taken out of context. “I thought I was in love, and of course I loved him. It was absolutely taken out of context when you just grab that little snippet,” she said. Shaunie emphasized that her love for Shaq diminished because she lost trust and didn’t feel safe with him, despite him being a great provider.
Now, with Pastor Keion, Shaunie has found love and security again. “Now that I have it, I’m like ‘oh, okay, so this is in love where I can let my guards down, I can feel safe, I can love in a wholeness’ … I’ve never been happier,” she shared.
Shaq responded to Shaunie’s comments with understanding and support. “I understand … I wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best. All love, Shaq,” he wrote on Instagram. He has previously admitted that Shaunie was “the perfect one” and his own behavior led to their divorce. Though linked to various women since, Shaq has never remarried or shown a desire to do so.
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