Shaquille O’Neal.Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty
Shaquille O’Nealhas come to acknowledge his own fault in his 2011 divorce fromShaunie O’Neal, and he’s also opening up about the feelings of loneliness he felt after the split.
“I had the perfect situation,” he shared onThe Pivot Podcast. “My wife was finer than a mug, kept giving me babies, still finer than a mug.”
After his ex-wife and children moved out of their Orlando mansion, O’Neal said he was “lost.”
Continued O’Neal, 50: “I was just being greedy.”
The Hall of Famer said he “had it all” — a reality he is only now fully recognizing. “You know when you get older, you try to think about the mistakes that you made that could have been avoided,” he said. “Divorce is definitely one of them.”
Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal.Cassy Athena/Getty
O’Neal firstfiled for divorcein 2007 before the couple reconciled temporarily. Two years later, Shaunie, now 47, filed for separation and sought out sole custody of their four children.
“The best feeling for me was coming home and hearing five, six different voices,” O’Neal said. “Don’t matter if I missed 15 free throws and we lost, they don’t care about that. ‘Dog Man’s home,'” he laughed. This was the second time O’Neal referenced his “Dog Man” game.
“We used to play something called ‘dog man’ as soon as I come home, I turn into a wild dog and I chase them,” O’Neal explained.
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The father of six was known for his toughness on the NBA court, but as a father, O’Neal found a different side of himself. “Being a dad helped me become more likable,” O’Neal said. “You know how it is in sports. When I lose, I’m tearing my house up. I’m pissed, I’m breaking everything, but as soon as you have the kids, soon as you open that door, all that has to go away.”
TheInside The NBApanelist continued, “It all has to go away, you have to be nice, especially with girls cause the kids, they don’t care if you win or lose.”
O’Neal also revealed that his expansive Orlando compound is finally off the market: “I just sold it and I’m actually sick that I sold out,” he acknowledged.
source: people.com
