“Basketball Wives” executive producer Shaunie Henderson appeared during his “Not Your Typical Bible Study” session on her pastor husband’s YouTube channel, where she shared some feelings about her marriage that she says she never experienced before.
This marks her second marriage after being previously married to NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. The former couple had four children together before divorcing in 2011 following the baller’s infidelities.
Pastor Henderson is the lead pastor of The Lighthouse Church in Houston, Texas and also has a son from a previous relationship. He married Shaunie in 2022, and the duo talked about their marriage during a discussion about relationships during the sermon.
He asked his wife, “How do I know when I meet somebody, ‘thats my person?’ … you know like when the Lord showed you.”
Mrs. Henderson replied that trust was the most important thing to her in a relationship and noted that it was something that she didn’t have before.
“I have an answer for that, ’cause I knew this question,” she said. “So trust was one. I could trust you. You challenged me and I received the challenge. I wasn’t like rebelling the challenge. I didn’t combat the challenge, I take on the challenge. And look forward to you challenging me to do things, to say things, to share things, to feel things that I never felt, so that was super important to me.”
“And that was something I didn’t feel before so that helped,” she continued. “I would fight for this relationship. I wanted to understand how you received love and you wanted to understand how I received love that’s … that was brand new to me too, to actually take the time to learn how somebody receives love is not just loving them.”
Shaunie added that she loves that they are each other’s “biggest fan,” how often they would share their life goals, how secure Henderson makes her feel and how “easy” he made it to love him.
“I can just be with you and do nothing and that’s important because when you love somebody you gotta love being with them.”
The mother of five and Keion dated for two years before tying the knot in Anguilla. After the wedding, Shaunie dropped O’Neal’s last name and later revealed that Keion was the first person to officially propose to her. She also revealed that they both have 11:11 as a tattoo on their bodies, way before deciding to wed on that same date in 2021.
Although this experience is much different than her first marriage, Shaunie doesn’t shy away from addressing the big matters of her past such as in her upcoming memoir, “UNDEFEATED: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms.”
She told People magazine that she was worried about “sharing too much” regarding her marriage to O’Neal and his infidelities, but she wanted to set the record straight.
“I always had a fear of sharing too much and of telling my story that involved anybody else,” Shaunie said. “I didn’t want to disrespect someone else’s story, even if it was a part of mine, but as I get older and do more things in the entertainment industry, I found that people have a misconception of who I am.”
Shaq admitted in his book, “Shaq Uncut: My Story,” and in interviews that his infidelities led to the former couple’s separation in 2009 and their finalized divorce in 2011.
“But I was bad. She was awesome. She really was. It was all me,” said Shaq on “The Pivot” podcast in 2022, noting that he got caught up trying to live a “double life.” He confessed that he made “mistakes” while Shaunie did everything she was supposed to as far as giving him “beautiful” children and making their house a home while still handling business.
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Shaquill O’Neal shares that he was at fault for his divorce from Shaunie O’Neal. Shaq said “I wasn’t protecting her and wasn’t protecting the vows”#shaquilloneal #shaunieoneal pic.twitter.com/DJD1K4FUhn
“Shaunie’s married. I’m happy for her. I hope this gentleman treats her the way she’s supposed to be treated,” the former Los Angeles Lakers player continued last June on the “MoTalk Radio” podcast hosted by singer Monica. “And I’m going to still love her and she’s still my wife. I will always protect, provide, and love for her, married or not.”
Henderson said that her ex of nine years admitting the truth made it easier for her to share her story.
“I was like, oh, OK, he told on himself,” she added. “I’m literally telling my story and my journey, which he was a part of. So, I’ve always been a little nervous about that, but I think I did a good job at sharing my story without destroying him because that’s not my intent at all, ever.”
Henderson also revealed that she shares some behind-the-scenes drama from “Basketball Wives” in her book. The author is the executive producer of the reality show and says her book “isn’t like a tell-all from behind the scenes, but it does express my feelings.”
“UNDEFEATED: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms” will be released this May.
