Shaquille O’Neal’s strange excuse for why he ‘lost a family’ raises eyebrows

Los Angeles Lakers legend and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal has been painfully candid about his family life breaking down.

During a 2022 appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, Shaq went viral for admitting regret about his role in his divorce, and added, “I was lost. 76,000 square foot house by yourself, lost. No kids, go to the gym, nobody playing in the gym. We go to their room, nobody’s there. You start to feel it.”

Shaquille O’Neal looks at the camera at a Fanatics event. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

Another comment Shaq made about his deteriorated family life during a conversation with his son, Shareef, on a recent episode of his “Post Moves” Netflix show is raising eyebrows on Tuesday.

Shaq was speaking to Shareef about the sacrifices it takes to play professional basketball, especially when it comes to building and sustaining a family.

“Are you ready to live that life? If you want to be great, my man, you gotta sacrifice everything. I’ve lost a family trying to be great,” O’Neal added.

Shaq’s claim that he lost a family “trying to be great” has gone viral, as fans are raising their eyebrows about how he’s seemingly using his pursuit of greatness as an excuse for the detrimental decisions he made in his personal life.

This is especially true because it appears to contradict the accountability Shaq has shown in the past. He previously admitted that his own ego-fueled decisions and mistakes has led to his present situation.

O’Neal and his ex-wife of nine years, Shaunie Henderson, finalized their divorce in 2011.

Shaquille O’Neal poses with his ex-wife and four of their children. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“I wasn’t protecting [Shaunie] and protecting those vows,” he said about his marriage with Henderson. “Sometimes you live that double life and you get caught up in it.”

Regardless of his reasoning, it’s clear that Shaq has a lot of regret for his current family situation. But at least he’s getting to spend time with one of his six children—even if it is for the cameras.