Photo: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock, Ted Alexander Somerville/Shutterstock, IG @nialong
He has experienced his share of adultery.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Sep 29, 2022
Shaquille O'Neal is weighing in on recent celebrity cheating scandals by not passing judgment at all.
The world has been abuzz about all the celebrity men being outed for cheating on their significant others, Ime Udoka was suspended from the Boston Celtics over an "inappropriate" affair with a staff member.
Maroon 5's Adam Levine was accused of having an affair with an Instagram model and Ned Fulmer of "The Try Guys" admitted to cheating on his wife with his producer.
All of this caused Shaq to share his thoughts on cheating on his "The Big Podcast."
Shaq admitted to being a 'serial cheater' and didn't judge Ime Udoka or Adam Levine.
"I’m going to step down from this conversation," he said on the latest episode of the podcast.
"I was a serial cheater. It would be crazy and blasphemous for me to get up here and say, ‘Boom, boom, bam.’ I can’t do that. I know these guys personally. I know they’re going through a lot because I went through a lot."
The retired basketball superstar reminded us of the trials and tribulations he experienced on his own marriage. Shaq married Shaunie O’Neal in 2002 and the couple split in 2011 after having six children together.
You may recall back in April 2022, Shaq appeared on The Pivot Podcast where he discuss his regrets about how he behaved in his marriage.
He cleared up any confusion as to why the relationship ended, letting fans know that he was the only person at fault in the demise of his marriage.
At that time, Shaq let said, “I was bad. She was awesome,” the retired hooper acknowledged.
“It was all me. We don’t need to talk about what I was doing, but I wasn’t protecting her and protecting those vows. Sometimes you live that double-life and get caught up. I’m not going to say it was her. It was all me.”
Shaq's his thoughts on cheating. honesty about what he did to make his marriage end was a breath of fresh air to those that have saw many celebrity men fail to take accountability for their actions.
His most recent comments were no different. Shaq admitted that it would be “crazy” and “blasphemous” of him to criticize Udoka when he had once been in the same situation.
Shaq did say that he and Udoka’s fiancé, Nia Long, were friends and that he regretted that this was happening to her.
He empathized with what the family is going through and wished them well.
Although he did not elaborate on what he did to make his marriage fail, O’Neal once again admitted that he had lived a double life during his marriage.
He also talked about the loss and loneliness he felt when he went through divorce as a cautionary tale to anyone acting as he did. He detailed the time lost with his family and how he could have prevented it.
The fact that Shaq is not a hypocrite is earning him positive accolades from fans.
Others applauded his integrity even though he had lacked integrity during the time he was a “serial cheater” on his wife.
It seems that avoiding excuses and taking responsibility for your actions goes a long way.
Shaq has grown, matured, and learned from his past mistakes. Hopefully, he is setting an example for other men that can keep them from suffering the same fate in their relationships.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle, entertainment and news, and self-focused content, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.