NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his divorce in a recent podcast interview and spoke frankly about the loneliness that followed.
O’Neal and Shaunie O’Neal were married in 2002, while the previous center was on its run with the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant. They both had four children before finalizing their divorce in 2011.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS AT FOXNEWS.COM
Shareef O’Neal poses with Shaquille’s parents and Shaunie O’Neal at the Jordan Brand Future of Flight show on January 25, 2018 in Studio City, California. (Cassy Athena / Getty Images)
“I was just greedy. I had the perfect situation. The wife was better than the cup. She kept giving me kids, still better than a cup – I had it all, ”O’Neal told Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. “Podcast Pivot.”
Shaunie O’Neal filed for divorce in 2009, citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to TMZ Sports. But Shaq said it was his fault.
“I’ve had it all, and I’m not making excuses. I know I screwed up, ”said the Basketball Hall of Famer.
O’Neal, who most recently played in the NBA in 2010/11, said he felt “lost” and lonely after the divorce was over and his career was over.
JERRY WEST, KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR TAKE UP THE PROBLEM WITH “WINNING TIME” HBO
Shaunie O’Neal attends Shaquille’s Grand Opening at LA Live on March 9, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Tullberg / Getty Images)
“No children. You go to the gym, nobody plays in the gym. You go to their room, no one is there. You start to feel it, ”he said. “As you get older and you hear” Shaq can’t Shaq anymore “and then you realize Shaq is not Shaq and you go through 30 and 19 years on average .. family. Get up, man, let’s go.”
O’Neal then revealed three major regrets he had during his career. He said the divorce was one of them, as was his jagged relationship with teammates Penny Hardaway and Bryant.
“Just because the things you do make you seem perfect, you’re not perfect,” he said. “Penny’s big relationship mistake. Big mistake in Kobe’s relationship. A terrible mistake in both marriages. Besides, I don’t think too much, but I really think about these things. I don’t like making excuses, but there was a lot going on. I was arrogant, I was stupid and sometimes when you do a lot you don’t want to work on something.
Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal at the 14th Night of Muhammad Ali Fight at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa on April 5, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Michael Caulfield / WireImage)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“These are the only three main regrets I have. I try not to divorce about everything else. I’m glad I lived my life and did it my way.”
