Shaquille O’Neal Wife: Who He Married, Why They Divorced, and Where They Are Now

When people search “Shaquille O’Neal wife,” they’re usually looking for one name: Shaunie Henderson (formerly Shaunie O’Neal), Shaq’s ex-wife and the mother of four of his children. Shaq has dated publicly since their split, but he has not remarried, which is why the wife question still points back to Shaunie. Their relationship is one of the most talked-about marriages in modern sports culture—not just because he’s a basketball icon, but because their family stayed prominent long after the divorce, and because both have spoken candidly about what went wrong.

Does Shaquille O’Neal have a wife right now?

No. Shaquille O’Neal does not have a current wife. He was previously married to Shaunie Henderson, but they divorced. Since then, he has been publicly linked to partners, yet there is no verified, widely confirmed remarriage.

Who was Shaquille O’Neal’s wife?

Shaquille O’Neal’s wife was Shaunie Henderson, known for years as Shaunie O’Neal. She later became even more famous in her own right as an executive producer and reality-TV figure, but during the marriage she was often described in the media as the stabilizing force in the household—running family life while Shaq’s career demanded constant travel, pressure, and attention.

Shaunie isn’t a background character in Shaq’s story. She built her own brand, her own business life, and eventually her own identity separate from his name, which is one reason the “Shaq’s wife” topic still leads to so many searches. People aren’t only curious about the marriage. They’re curious about the woman who moved from “NBA wife” into a standalone public figure.

When did Shaq and Shaunie get married?

Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Nelson married on December 26, 2002. At the time, Shaq was already a global sports superstar, and the marriage became high-profile by default. Even when they weren’t chasing attention, attention followed them.

How many kids do Shaq and Shaunie have?

Shaq and Shaunie share four children together:

• Shareef
• Amirah
• Shaqir
• Me’arah

Shaunie also had a son, Myles, from a previous relationship, whom Shaq helped raise. Shaq also has a daughter, Taahirah, from a previous relationship. So when people say “Shaq has five kids” or “Shaq has six kids,” they can both be trying to describe the same family picture from different angles. The simplest way to understand it is: four children with Shaunie, plus children from previous relationships and family bonds formed through raising them.

The relationship timeline: from marriage to divorce

Shaq and Shaunie’s marriage had multiple turning points that became public over time:

• 2002: They married.
• 2007: Shaq filed for divorce.
• 2008: They reconciled and withdrew the divorce action.
• 2009: Shaunie filed to divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
• 2011: Their divorce was widely reported as finalized around this period.

The important emotional truth is this: it wasn’t a single moment that ended the marriage. It was a breakdown over time, with a brief attempt to repair it, followed by a final separation.

Why did Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie divorce?

The reasons behind celebrity divorces are rarely one clean headline, but Shaq and Shaunie’s split has been discussed more openly than most. Shaq has publicly accepted blame for a lot of what went wrong, describing himself in unflattering terms and acknowledging that he didn’t show up as the husband he should have been. Over the years, he has also admitted to infidelity and to being emotionally unavailable—two issues that can erode even a strong relationship when they become patterns instead of isolated mistakes.

From Shaunie’s side, the story has often been framed around the slow collapse of trust and connection. She has described the feeling of a marriage deteriorating gradually—like something that looks okay on the surface until you realize the foundation has been cracking for a long time.

If you want the simplest, most accurate summary: their marriage ended due to ongoing relationship problems that included trust issues, lifestyle strain, and failures in emotional commitment. Both have taken responsibility in different ways, and both have emphasized co-parenting afterward.

How their divorce changed Shaunie’s public identity

Shaunie became more publicly visible after the split, not less. She helped create and executive-produce the reality series Basketball Wives, which turned her from “Shaq’s wife” into a media figure with her own career lane. That shift is part of why people still look up “Shaquille O’Neal wife”—because Shaunie’s story didn’t fade into the background after the divorce. It expanded.

In a way, Shaunie represents a modern celebrity-partner arc: a person who was initially famous through proximity, then built enough personal momentum that the world kept watching even after the relationship ended.

Did Shaunie remarry?

Yes. Shaunie later remarried Pastor Keion Henderson. Their wedding took place in 2022, and it drew plenty of media attention because it was seen as a new chapter for her—one that clearly separated her present life from the Shaq era.

One detail people tend to notice is how public Shaq has been about supporting her happiness in that chapter. That doesn’t mean they became best friends overnight. It means they reached a mature place where they could show respect and prioritize the family they share.

Who has Shaq dated since the divorce?

Shaq has had public relationships after his divorce, including a widely covered relationship with Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander in the early 2010s. Over the years, he’s also been linked to other partners and rumored relationships, but not all rumors equal reality.

The reason this matters to the “wife” question is simple: dating does not equal marriage. Shaq’s only widely confirmed marriage remains his marriage to Shaunie.

How co-parenting kept them connected

Divorce doesn’t end a family when children are involved—it redefines it. Shaq and Shaunie’s post-divorce relationship has often been described through the lens of co-parenting: graduations, sports milestones, birthdays, and the everyday work of raising kids who live in a world where their last name is instantly recognizable.

Shaq has spoken about the emotional consequences of the divorce in terms that suggest real regret. He has described the fallout not just as a romantic loss but as a family disruption that affected his children’s relationship with him for a time. Whether you’re famous or not, that’s one of the hardest parts of divorce: realizing the pain spreads beyond the couple.

Over time, the public impression is that they worked toward a functional co-parenting rhythm. That doesn’t mean the past disappears. It means the present gets handled.

Quick facts about Shaq’s wife history

• Shaquille O’Neal’s only confirmed wife: Shaunie Henderson (formerly Shaunie O’Neal)
• Marriage date: December 26, 2002
• Children together: Four
• Divorce: Finalized after their 2009 separation (commonly reported around 2011)
• Shaunie remarried: Yes, in 2022, to Pastor Keion Henderson
• Shaq remarried: No