Shaunie Henderson says parts of her new book detailing her married life with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal were misinterpreted.
In a quote from her new book, Shaunie said she never loved Shaq, but she was in love with the idea of being married and raising a family.
“Looking back, I don’t know that I was ever really in love with the man, but I was in love with the idea of being married to the man I had a family with,” she wrote, according to People.com. “I was in love with the idea of building a life together. I truly did enjoy spending time with him. [NBA] road trips gave me a chance to be with my husband and experience the NBA life for a little while.”
Now Shaunie claims that excerpt from her book was taken “out of context.”
“Developing an opinion and a comment from content with no context will show you a lot of people’s intelligence and unintelligence,” Shaunie said. “There was no context to just that one quote that I said, and I think that sadly, people are taking my words out of context,” she said.
She continued: “I’m not a word girl. I’m a character girl, and since I’ve left the marriage of Shaquille, my character has spoken for itself.”
Shaunie says some people lack good reading comprehension skills.
“People don’t read, you know what I mean? Love, not…in love … They pick out the words they want. Again, context is everything,” she added.
Shaq must be among that group, because he responded to Shaunie’s quote in a post on Instagram.
“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,” he wrote.
Shaunie said she “can’t speak for” Shaq — or “why he would run with” the misinterpreted excerpt. “But it’s my book, my truth, and it’s my legacy,” she said.
