Shaquille O’Neal wants people to appreciate their families and avoid the mistakes he made that cost him his, a confidant of the NBA legend told the New York Post.
In a recent podcast with Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, the 51-year-old NBA on TNT co-host confessed to “dumba** mistakes” in his marriage that he now regrets: “I lost my entire family. I live alone in a 100,000 square foot house.”
A friend of O’Neal doubled down on the comments to the Post on Wednesday.
“The point I was trying to make is that I want other people to learn from the mistakes I made,” the anonymous friend told the Post. ‘You get married, you take vows and you should be grateful for what you have. Stick with it. I want people, especially those in the public eye, to learn from me.
“He tells people to live in the present and take care of their families because they can’t be replaced,” the friend added.
Shaunie O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal celebrate Shareef O’Neal’s 18th birthday party in 2018
O’Neal and Shaunie divorced in 2011 after nine years of marriage. The couple has four children
Shaquille O’Neal also gave some advice to Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce (pictured)
As for O’Neal supposedly sitting alone in a 100,000-square-foot home, another source tells the Post that’s not exactly the case.
“Perhaps at one point, while living in his large house in Orlando, shortly after divorcing his wife, he was alone,” the source said.
Rathe, the source continued, O’Neal is mainly concerned with his growing business empire.
“He works so hard; he is so busy,” the source said. “He has a great work ethic and is focused on success. I think he believes in making hay while the sun shines. And right now the sun is shining. He doesn’t allow himself the downtime that other successful people have.’
O’Neal did not elaborate on his specific mistakes during his nine-year marriage to Shaunie, who is the mother of four of his six children.
Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal pose with two of their sons while watching the 3-Point Shootout
However, O’Neal was accused of disloyalty by his late teammate Kobe Bryant, who himself faced sexual assault allegations in Colorado 21 years ago when he shared details of Shaq’s alleged affairs with police.
“I should have done what Shaq does,” Bryant reportedly told police in 2003. “Shaq gives (mistresses) money or buys them cars, he’s already spent a million dollars.”
The police report added, “Kobe stated that Shaq is doing this to keep the girls quiet.”
The Big Aristotle later added a reference to the accusations while freestyling in 2008: “I’m a horse / Kobe betrayed me, that’s why I’m getting divorced / He said Shaq gave a bitch a million / I don’t do that ’cause my name is Shaquille.’
NBA player Shaquille O’Neal and wife Shaunie O’Neal during Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night XIV in Scottsdale in 2008
The two centers, Kelce and O’Neal, touched on the topic while discussing Jason’s possible retirement from the NFL.
“If you’re going to retire, accept it,” O’Neal told the Philadelphia Eagles star. ‘Enjoy your family brother. I made a lot of stupid mistakes that caused me to lose my family and have no one left. That is not the case with you.
‘So enjoy your beautiful wife, enjoy your beautiful children and never think about what we had. You have the (Super Bowl) ring, people know who you are, enjoy it. Because again, I was an idiot. I lost my entire family (and) I live alone in a 100,000-square-foot house.”
Despite complaining about living a lonely life in enormous mansions, O’Neal happens to own several colossal properties.
While many details about his estate are unconfirmed, public records – revealed by the Post – indicate that the TNT NBA analyst owns nine lavish properties in Nevada, Texas, Georgia and Florida.
Over the past four years, O’Neal has purchased four different homes in McDonough, Georgia. The properties together form 30 hectares of land, which could indicate an intention to build a larger estate.
O’Neal also owns a 4,600-square-foot home in Hampton, Georgia.
His most recent purchase is a five-bedroom, six-bathroom estate in the Dallas suburb of Carrolton that spans over 5,200 square feet. This purchase comes just months after the sale of his mansion in Orlando, Florida.
Records obtained by the New York Post show that O’Neal also owns a 6,400-square-foot home in Sugar Land, Texas.
Shaquille O’Neal attends the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium
Additionally, in 2021, O’Neal purchased a modern, sleek 4,800-square-foot estate in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kelce received words of wisdom from O’Neal as he contemplated retirement following the Eagles’ wild-card loss in January. After going 11-6 on the season, Philadelphia was eliminated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 32-9.
O’Neal played 19 seasons in the NBA with stints for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. O’Neal won three of his titles in Los Angeles and one in Miami before retiring in 2011.
In addition to winning three Finals MVPs and a regular season MVP in 2000, O’Neal had 15 All-Star and 17 All-NBA selections.
O’Neal has four children with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal. He also has a stepson from Shaunie’s previous relationship and a daughter with his ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh.