Black Celebrity Men

You know usually when I get my new issue of Essence magazine in the mail, I'd take a glance at the cover and depending on who's on it, I'd either throw it on my coffee table (to read later or not at all) or sit down and read it from cover to cover. However, when I saw the April 2010 issue with Zoe Saldana on the cover, I was ready to throw it up against my wall because I have no interest in her whatsoever. It wasn't until I saw the cover line that read 'Confessions of an NBA wife, Shaunie O'Neal Tells Why She Left Shaq' and I thought to myself, 'Now, Shaunie should have been the cover story, not Zoe!' But we all know how Essence do.

I checked the table of contents and flipped right to Shaunie's article. While reading it, I found myself saying, 'Seriously, Shaq?! Dude?!' I know he's an Omega, but damn he got to be a dog through and through? Now, I've read bits and pieces of his sexcapades with several other women...including his trysts with Karrine 'Superhead' Steffans and just shook my head. But when I read about how he treated his wife and their five kids during what had to be the most tumultuous time in Shaunie's life, I began to feel some kind of way about him. And it wasn't good. My heart really went out to her. And although he and Shaunie are cool and cordial with one another now, it's going to take a while before I stop giving Big Dawg the side-eye. I mean really, Shaq! But I got to give it up for Shaunie though. The girl is doing her thang!

YOU CAN ALSO READ ABOUT SHAUNIE'S NEW VH1 REALITY SHOW, BASKETBALL WIVES PLUS SEE MORE PICS FROM HER ESSENCE PHOTO SHOOT ON REAL GOSSIP 101!

Since the interview is really long, I picked out a several excerpts from it and posted them below. Needless to say, if you haven't copped this copy (yes, I know Essence has been lagging in the juicy stories department lately), do so.

Shaunie on how moving to Miami (and it's groupies) changed their lives in 2004: "Miami is a great city. It just wasn't a great city for our family. I know they say L.A. has its groupies, but Miami has a different mentality. People hang out on the beach all day and then club all night. Even going to the games, the whole environment is so different. Girls are sitting [practically] in their bras and panties in the arena. When you're trying to keep your husband, that's a lot to take. It was a whole new lifestyle I wasn't ready for. Apparently we didn't have a strong enough foundation for Shaq to withstand that type of temptation."

Shaunie on confronting Shaq with the rumors: "It got really ugly between us, because people started calling me and telling me things about his other women. He would deny it sometimes, and other times he would ask, 'You got pictures? Video? If not, don't come at me because you have no proof.' He'd say, 'Okay, you're mad. Now what? You're not going anywhere.' And he was right. I didn't for a long time. I did not want my kids to be from a broken home. I was willing to suffer and make the best of the situation for their sake....It's hard to keep that kind of stuff away from your kids, especially when they're old enough to use the computer."

Shaunie on being served with divorce papers in 2007 and Shaq leaving her and their kids: "It was the most devastating moment in my life. I never thought he'd jeopardize our family. I was thinking, 'How could you do this to the children?'" Weeks later, Shaunie and the kids returned to Miami (they had moved to L.A. during she and Shaq's separation) to find that Shaq had taken all of his clothes and moved into a condo he owned just five minutes away. Shaunie said, 'Shareef (their second oldest son) saw the empty closets and dropped to his knees crying. He kept saying, 'Daddy's gone.' Then his sisters and brothers started crying, and so did I. I think we cried together for about an hour. I was devastated."

WHEN YOU CLICK THE LINK BELOW, READ SHAUNIE'S RESPONSE TO RUMORS OF HER CHEATING ON SHAQ, FIND OUT WHEN SHE KNEW HER MARRIAGE WAS OVER AND WHY SHE'S THE HAPPIEST SHE'S BEEN IN A LONG TIME!

Shaunie on rumors that she cheated on Shaq with her male personal trainer: "It was ridiculous. I worked out at home--with the trainer, my sister, her husband and my girlfriend. I was a good girl. I wouldn't even entertain a man flirting with me. I was that conservative. But when those rumors came out, I felt like I was so small and Shaq was so big that it didn't matter what I said; nobody was going to believe me. All I was thinking was, How could this happen to me? I had no idea how I was going to pick up the pieces. I was just done."

Shaunie says she knew their marriage was over when Shaq got traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009. Sometimes they'd go a week without talking to each other. After a month, she called, telling him of her plans to visit (she and the kids remained in Orlando) since he was playing in a pre-season game in North Carolina. She says his response was to brush her off. "He said, 'Nah, that's all right. It was then that I knew he didn't want this marriage; I knew it was time for me to go. That was my 'a-ha' moment."

Shaunie on moving on without Shaq: "I used to get really bad migraines, but since I decided to move on I don't have them any longer. I'm finally at peace and happier than I've been in a long time. [Shaq and I] are becoming friends, and it's nice because it's something we really lacked in our marriage. I enjoy being able to talk openly to him, and I think we've both learned a lot form each other during this time. I tease him now and tell him, 'You're a good person with a great heart, but a terrible husband. Please, don't get married again--just date.' We both want to be the best parents we can be. I have nothing but positive thoughts. I'm reaching for the stars."

Shaunie filed for legal separation last November, after seven years of marriage to Shaq.