Legendary NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is shooting down a "salacious" dating rumor.
O'Neal, who won three NBA championships with the Lakers and one more with the Heat, is a divorced man. The 7-footer was married to his wife, Shaunie Henderson, from 2002-11. However, the couple went through an ugly divorce. O'Neal has admitted to not being the husband that he should've been.
"I was bad, she was awesome, she really was. It was all me," O'Neal said. "I wasn't protecting her and protecting those vows. Sometimes when you live a double life, you get caught up. So, I'm not going to say it was her, it was all me...We have a great relationship, but as I get older and dwell on situations, I can honestly say it was all on me."
O'Neal has since been involved in some notable dating rumors, though he's shooting the latest one down.
Shaq shot it down. David Butler II-Imagn Images
O'Neal spoke with Jim Jones on an episode of "The Big Podcast" and was asked if a headline about a dating rumor was real.
"Shaq exposed for shooting his shot at Sabrina Carpenter," the headline read by Jones stated.
O'Neal quickly shot it down, but not before Jones read some of the alleged DMs between them.
"Damn, baby I would keep your farts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me every day," O'Neal allegedly said. "Just jokes. I'm Shaqs. What's your name baby? And Sabrina says, ‘I know who you are. You're way too famous to be sending me messages like that.' Shaq, ‘I can't be horny and want some of that snow bunny kitty for myself. You're being rude for no reason. You can't handle Big Diesel any way. …"
O'Neal quickly made it clear that it wasn't him sending those messages.
"First of all ladies, the Diesel got way more game than that, I'm just saying," he said.
O'Neal has been open about his dating struggles
O'Neal has admitted to having two "perfect" women and messing up both of those relationships.
"I had two perfect women and I messed it up," O'Neal said in 2023. "My first one was my baby mother, Arnetta, and then I met Shaunie. Shaunie was also a perfect woman, and I messed it up.
"Yeah, you know, we were young and always just doing dumb stuff. But, the good thing about our relationship is that they forgave me, and we have a good relationship now. But when you ask me about the perfect woman - I had two perfect women and I messed it up, just by, you know, being dumb."
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