Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant players ever to play the game. He won many accolades throughout his career. His four NBA Championship rings and three NBA finals MVP speak for themselves. As a human being, he has been exemplary. There has been no shortage of stories off the court that don’t make “Big” Shaq look bad. O’Neal is indeed a big man with a big heart and does not shy away from showing his vulnerability.

He did show that side recently on an episode of “The Pivot Podcast.” O’Neal opened up on his mental struggles after his divorce from then-wife Shaunie O’Neal. Shaq blamed himself for the breaking up of his marriage. He told the hosts, “I never talked about this, but I’m glad you guys asked me because I don’t mind talking about this. But I was bad. She was awesome. She really was. It was all me.”

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He continued, ” Look we don’t need to talk about what I was doing but I wasn’t protecting her and protecting those vows. Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up. So I’m not gonna say it was her, it was all me. She did exactly what she was supposed to do, gave me beautiful kids, take care of the house, take care of corporate stuff. It was just all me.”

“Sometimes when you make a lot of mistakes like that you can’t really come back.” Shaq mentioned that when his wife and kids left him, he was “lost” and alone in his 76,000 square-foot house.

Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Nelson’s marriage

He had married Shaunie Nelson in 2002. The couple ended up having four children: Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah but they got separated in 2007. Citing “irreconcilable differences,” Shaunie ended up filing for divorce. The process was finalized in 2011.

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Although he held off from sharing details, Shaunie previously admitted Shaq’s infidelity, amongst other lingering issues, led to their split in 2009. It inspired Shaunie to create the VH1 series “Basketball Wives.” They, still, have been co-op renting their kids for 14 years without any big issues between the both of them.

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During the podcast, he also expressed regrets about his relationship with former Laker Kobe Bryant. He admitted that he was arrogant and dumb during those days.

We just hope that Shaq finds peace in these revelations and continues to be happy with his kids and life so that he continues making us happy.