Over a year ago, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union sparked an unending debate by revealing they split their expenses 50-50. That discussion is back on social media again and has crawled into Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast radius. During the live show of The Big Podcast at LSU, Adam Lefkoe presented the 50-50 debate to find out Shaquille O’Neal’s and Leonard Fournette’s opinions on it. Let’s just say it contrasts the Wade-Union household.

Shaq’s initial reaction was, “That’s an unfair question.” Possibly because his late father, Phillip Harrison, raised him to always put the ladies in his life first. So Shaq states his personal opinion that, “I would go a 100.” The reason is a lot similar to watching his mother, Lucille, from a young age.

“Because women go through a lot…” He said and added, “it’s my job to protect, provide, and love for them. So I have to make it as easy as possible for them.” But with Shaq is also aware with $500 million in the bank, it’s easy for him to talk. For those who have to be cautious about spending, he advises to talk about it and come to a mutual decision.

However, “if you’re a successful man, you should be able to take care of all that stuff and take care of your family,” Shaq says on his podcast. 

And you could call Dwyane Wade successful with an estimated net worth of $170 million. He recently revealed to another LSU alum, Angel Reese, that he learned how to be a good leader from Shaq. He even compared his on-court partnership with O’Neal that won Miami Heat’s first championship to his chemistry with Union. But the 50-50 debate is clearly where they differ from.

The origins of Shaq and D-Wade’s perspectives

D-Wade revealed that he threw the “my house that I paid for” argument at Gabrielle Union during a fight once and it changed their relationship. Union told him, “You will never say that to me again when it’s something that we share.” When Union and Wade moved their family from Florida to Los Angeles, Union went half on their residence and they maintain an equal split on most expenses.

Shaquille O’Neal realistically has no problem with it. His perception stems from seeing his mother sacrifice a new dress to ensure he and his three siblings have presents. His father also would tell him that since finances were stretched, he’d have to prioritize Shaq’s sisters over him and his brother on Christmas. It’s a policy he carried forward as an adult and even his ex-wife, Shaunie confirms that O’Neal wanted to be the provider of 100% of the family’s needs.

When it comes to self-made women like Union, Shaq also said on the podcast, “And if your woman makes something if she wants to help she can. But if not, just tell her to keep it for herself, because the less stress you have on your woman, the less stress you will have in your relationship.” 

The interesting part is when Shaq said this, his audience at the LSU campus had reactions. There were laughs, some ooohs, but nothing angry, nor can we gauge if the crowd agreed or disagreed. What do you think about Shaq’s take though?