Having an ideal family was Shaunie Henderson’s concept of happiness all along. She has conveyed this in her autobiography, Undefeated, where the 49-year-old goes on to explore her parents’ relationship and the traditions she followed while growing up with strict parents. While she didn’t have the opportunity to replicate those traditions with Shaquille O’Neal, who was often away for his games, Shaunie fondly talks about these traditions with her husband, Pastor Keion Henderson.

On the GrOOw Zone podcast, Henderson mentioned that her father had a tradition where the entire family would sit together and discuss every detail of their lives. Shaunie wanted the same for her relationship with Pastor Keion. However, her husband was new to this practice. 

“I come from a family that my dad sat down and we had family meetings about any and everything. So I came to you like that’s what I want,” Henderson said on the podcast.

Speaking about his responsibilities as a pastor, he joked that he had to talk so much during the day that he wasn’t interested in further conversations or aware of proper communication to share his thoughts. The mother of five admitted she had previously thought Pastor Keion was an oversharer.

Nevertheless, he pressed on how, with Shaunie, he was able to recognize his shortcomings and work on them. The CEO of Amirah, Inc., wanted wouldn’t want more after admitting she had never had the chance to practice it with her previous partners.

“I’ve never been in a relationship that I’ve been able to do that with my partner. So I want to talk everything out. I want us to have an understanding of each other, so the commitment of communication was very important for me,” she added.

Shaunie Henderson’s efforts to connect with Shaquille O’Neal amidst his busy schedule

In her book, Shaunie explained why it was difficult for her to maintain the tradition with her ex-husband, O’Neal. The challenge was largely due to O’Neal’s schedule and her responsibilities at home with the children. 

Shaunie felt there were too many distractions at home, and with such a hectic schedule, she struggled to spend quality time with her husband. She admitted that she went on those road trips seeking O’Neal’s love and attention. “At home, there were so many distractions, but on the road, it was just the two of us. I really did enjoy that. I also got a break from the kids, which was always nice,” Henderson wrote in her book.

Whenever she could, she would travel to see her husband, although she couldn’t attend all of his games because of the kids. Instead, she managed to go on only two or three road trips.  When she traveled without her children, she had to return within 3-4 days. Despite the short duration, she cherished these opportunities to meet O’Neal and enjoy the NBA lifestyle although, she had to miss out on the communication part.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.