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“Every Girl Wanted Me”: Shaquille O’Neal, Who Cheated on Ex-Wife Shaunie, Got Honest on Being “Married Young” in His Book

Published 11/07/2022, 9:30 AM EST

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About a decade ago, Shaquille O’Neal released a book known as Shaq Uncut. The book chronicled Shaq’s life on the court and outside of it. O’Neal even talked about his now-broken marriage to his ex-wife Shaunie. The Los Angeles Lakers legend shed some light on his time with the Miami Heat and how his success drastically changed people’s attitudes toward him. Shaq Uncut was released on 15 November 2011.

It is difficult to make your life an open book for everyone to read. There is always a risk of receiving criticism because if you are writing an autobiography, it is only fair that you also include all the negative aspects of your life.

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You never know how readers would take it. They would either understand why you did what you did or you will just become one of the most hated personalities. Shaq has always been vocal about his thoughts.

READ MORE – “7Ft Sellout” Shaquille O’Neal Slandered for Boastful Response to Kanye West as Kyrie Irving Ban Threatens to Tear Them Apart

Therefore, after he and his ex-wife Shaunie officially divorced, Shaq heavy-heartedly admitted that he had not been faithful to his then-wife. Since their separation, O’Neal has never shied away from admitting his fault. Evidently, he talked about the same in his book as well.

Shaquille O’Neal shares why his marriage didn’t work

In the book, Shaquille O’Neal recalled his last days for the Miami Heat and the ongoing troubles in his marriage. Shaq joined the Heat in 2004 after he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers. According to O’Neal, the Heat was turning ‘stone-cold from white-hot’ at the start of the NBA season 2007-08.

He was having trouble at home as well. Shaq admitted that he caused a significant part of the problems. Furthermore, he stated that while it was not an excuse but the problems were mostly because he got married young. He said that because of investing most of his time and energy in basketball, he was unable to become a good boyfriend/husband.

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“One day, no girls would even look at me, and then all of a sudden every girl wanted me. I never had to court a girl-they courted me,” wrote Shaq.

Shaq was seemingly overwhelmed by the suddenly sudden fame and popularity. He noted how people suddenly wanted him when just a few years ago, no one wanted anything to do with him. He added that being married to a professional athlete was hard.

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WATCH THIS STORY: 3 Current NBA Stars Taller than Shaquille O’Neal

O’Neal and Shaunie got married in 2002 when the four-time champion was 30 years old. The duo welcomed four kids together and stayed married for nine years. After going through several problems, Shaunie filed for divorce in 2009 and the two officially parted ways in 2011.

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Written by:

Siyari Debbarma

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Siyari Debbarma is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She is currently pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering from Abascus Institute of Engineering and Management. She previously interned at the Y-East Organization as a content writer.
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Edited by:

Bagavathi Eswaran