Shaunie O’Neal Is Engaged To Her Boyfriend, Pastor Keion Henderson

Shaunie O’Neal said “Yes!”

The 46-year-old is now engaged to her boyfriend, Pastor Keion Henderson, after he romantically proposed to her on Thursday, Nov. 11. In a video, released by People magazine, Henderson explained why Nov.11 is an important date to them.

Paster Keion Henderson and Shaunie O’Neal (Photo: @pastorkeion/Instagram)

“Every day, you and I either call each other or text each other at 11:11 and we say that we love each other,” he said standing up looking down at her as she sat in front of a table decorated with flowers. He then explained that they typically joke about who loves each other more for a while. “And so I thought today, that on 11:11 at 11/11 I would do something that’ll make you know that I love you more than you love me.”

He then dropped down on one knee and popped the question, with a 4.22-karat radiant-cut diamond ring with an 18-karat white gold band in hand. O’Neal screamed “OMG,” followed by repeating “yes.” Afterward, the two went off to watch fireworks together.

O’Neal told People that, although she has been married before, no one has ever gotten down on one knee to propose. She said, “honestly I’m the person that thought I would never in my lifetime experience a love like this.”

The “Basketball Wives” star praised Henderson on making the night perfect and said she “wouldn’t change a single thing.” O’Neal went on to describe what a wonderful man her soon-to-be husband is. She said, “Keion is an extraordinary man of God. He’s wise, he’s supportive, he’s so loving and attentive. He loves me and my children in a way that has changed my life and my heart.”

She added,, “He makes me want to be better every day. And I pray that I do the same for him. This love is FOREVER and I’m honored and overjoyed to do forever with him.”

O’Neal was previously married to NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal from 2002 to 2011 and the pair share five children together.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top