“Basketball Wives” is standing on its last leg so many of the ladies are looking to move on to bigger and better things, including show creator Shaunie O’Neal. After getting a bad rap for all of the fighting and bottle-throwing that went on between the basketball wives, Shaunie has a deal for a new reality show for VH1 — “The Shaunie Project”. It’s about life with her and her kids. The show would be more of a wholesome show surrounding her and her four kids, but ex-husband and legendary basketball star Shaquille O’Neal aka Shaq is not trying to have their kids anywhere near it.
According to celebrity news site TMZ:
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Shaunie has tried convincing Shaq that her show is just like “The Cosby Show” — good, wholesome, family fun. She told him one of the episodes will focus on Shaunie’s aversion to working out. The kids will convince her that working out is good and they’ll all run a 5K together. Forgive our cynicism, but it sounds like this show may be scripted.
Shaq is not buying it and feels there are too many pressures imposed by producers — to be able to keep the show wholesome. He’s convinced the show will end up showcasing a dysfunctional family that will hurt his kids, some of whom are already struggling in school. Shaq believes no good can come from cameras in the home.
Could this be Shaq’s attempt to save his family from the demise of reality TV? Shaunie once proclaimed she would no longer tolerate violence on her show, “Basketball Wives,” because it damaged the image of Black women yet the fights and cattiness between the women worsened after said proclamation. If Shaunie was unable to save the direction and image of the ‘Basketball Wives’ brand, how can she expect Shaq, or anyone at that, to be confident in this new attempt to rebuild her image? Basketball Wives doesn’t exactly align with the Cosby Show.
Shaunie is rushing to court this morning for an emergency order allowing her to put her kids on her new reality show. Shaunie was unconvincing this morning in court […] a judge just rejected her bid for an order allowing her to put her kids on a new reality show, something ex-hubby Shaquille O’Neal is vehemently against. Shaunie wanted the judge to rule in her favor without a hearing, but Shaq’s lawyer, Laura Wasser convinced the judge there was no rush and a hearing was only fair.
Unfortunately, since the order was rejected, that kind of puts a damper on her plans to start filming the show in January.
