Shaquille O’Neal Shares Reason His Kids Once Stopped Talking To Him

Shaquille O’Neal recently discussed his once-strained relationship with his children.

During an episode of rapper TI‘s “expediTIously” podcast, the former Los Angeles Lakers star was candid about how his divorce from his ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson, affected his bond with his kids.

Prior to this, Shaquille O’Neal slammed online blogs for reportedly spreading “clickbait” rumors about his alleged relationship with a married woman.

During his conversation with TI, Shaq reflected on the lessons he’s learned since his previous marriage.

“I learned that I know better than to be out here bullsh-tting,” the NBA champion said. “Sometimes you just get caught up. But we know better.”

Shaq was married to Henderson from 2002 to 2009 before officially splitting in 2011. Elsewhere in the episode, he acknowledged that his divorce impacted his children, though he noted they are thriving today.

“In all of that, I’m just happy and blessed that they’ve forgiven me. Because me and my babies didn’t talk for a while,” he said. “I understood that, but now we’re starting to get closer. I’m teaching my boys to be better than me. Papa was a Rolling Stone. You don’t need to be like me.”

Shaq’s comments about his children follow those of his son, Shareef O’Neal, who discussed his father during an appearance on the “Heir Time” podcast.

“The first few years it was pretty hard,” Shareef said about his parents’ divorce. “We were all too young to kind of understand what’s going on. Mom and dad aren’t going to be together. It wasn’t like a ‘choose a side’ thing.”

Shareef added that his parents didn’t seem to make things easier for them as kids when they were going through their marital woes.

“My mom [was] like, ‘If you guys wanna go with your dad, go ahead.’ My dad’s like, ‘If y’all wanna go with your mom, go ahead,'” he continued.

Things, however, eventually smoothed over, with Shareef giving props to both of his parents for how well they work together for their kids’ sake.

“They never come around and it’s a problem. My mom is remarried now. She can bring her husband around and dad [can] dap him up and have a conversation. So, I respect them both for never putting the stress on us,” Shareef said.

Henderson previously detailed her marriage to Shaq during her tenure on the VH1 reality series “Basketball Wives.” She shared even more in the pages of her memoir, “Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms,” according to PEOPLE.

One section of the book that captured many readers’ attention was Henderson’s line: “Looking back, I don’t know that I was ever really in love with the man.” Shaq replied a day later with a message that read: “I understand… I wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best. All love, Shaq. Trust me I get it.”

Henderson later said the viral line was taken out of context, and that she can’t change how people feel about what she’s written. “… it’s my book, my truth, and it’s my legacy.”

According to The Blast, Shaq recently responded to the claims that he was having an inappropriate relationship with his friend’s wife. During the interview, Shaq dismissed the claims as “clickbait” and affirmed that he would never cross a boundary with those in his inner circle.

“Listen, everybody wants their page to be famous, I understand it. You have to understand, you don’t go to people’s wives. That’s something you just don’t do,” he said, adding, “I’m 53, so I’m done with all that.”