Shaquille O’Neal said the mothers of his children are the two women who got away.
The Basketball Hall of Famer got candid in a recent interview about letting two important women in his life slip away, as he teaches his sons about relationships and how they can be much better than him.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star spoke with R&B star Monica on her Apple Music Hits show, “Mo Talk Radio” about how he “messed it up” with Arnetta Yardbourgh and Shaunie Nelson.
“I had two perfect women and I messed it up,” O’Neal said, via the New York Post. “My first one was my baby’s mother, Arnetta, and then I met Shaunie. Shaunie was also a perfect woman, and I messed it up.
“Yeah, you know, we were young and always just doing dumb stuff. But, the good thing about our relationship is that they forgave me, and we have a good relationship now. But when you ask me about the perfect woman — I had two perfect women and I messed it up, just by, you know, being dumb.”
Shaq and Shaunie married in 2002 but by 2007, the entrepreneur called it quits due to Shaq not being able to stay faithful. Their divorce was finalized four years later, in 2011.
Shaq then provided advice on some of the lessons he has learned in his life.
“… First thing you have to be is honest, honest with yourself, and honest with your partner,” he explained. “… I tell my sons all the time, a man has three jobs when it comes to a woman. Protect, provide, and love.
“Some men can only offer two, for whatever reason, but I’ma teach you how to offer all three. And that’s what I try to do — and even though I don’t have a relationship with the women that I let get away, I will always PPL: protect, provide, and love, whatever they need they get it from me.”
“I’ll always be there for them,” he added. “If they want to get married and find people better than me, I understand that, I accept that.”
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The NBA legend shares four children with his ex-wife, Shaunie Nelson. Shaunie has a son, Myles, from a previous relationship, while Shaq has a daughter, Taahirah, with his former girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh.
During the course of his 19-year career, Shaq played for six NBA teams and won a total of four NBA championships. He won three consecutive championships with the Lakers (2000-2002) and one while playing for Miami in 2006.
In 2000, he made history as one of three players in the league to win NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Finals MVP all in the same year.
He retired from the sport of basketball after the 2010–11 season.
Shaq was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
