“I lost my whole family. I’m in a 100,000-square-foot house by myself” – Shaquille O’Neal admits he is regretful for not treating his family the way he should have
Shaq reflects on his past mistakes and how missteps with the family shaped his perspective on life.
It’s a rare thing to see a giant breakdown. Shaquille O’Neal — 7’1″, four NBA championships, larger than life in every sense — isn’t just talking about basketball anymore. He’s talking about loss, about regret, about the weight that trophies and money can’t lift.
The man who once made backboards shatter now sounds like someone trying to put the pieces of his life back together and confronting the cost of his mistakes.
Shaq’s regrets
For years, it looked like O’Neal had the perfect life of a superstar: a lovely wife, lovely children and a good home. However, all that changed, And the Hall of Famer couldn’t help but blame himself.
“I made a lot of dumbass mistakes to where I lost my family and didn’t have anyone,” the retired center said. “I was an idiot… I lost my whole family. I’m in a 100,000-square-foot house by myself.”
O’Neal’s marriage to Shaunie Nelson was once viewed as a rock-solid foundation in the chaotic world of professional sports. They married in 2002 and shared seven years together, raising six children — four biological and two from previous relationships — before their relationship came crashing down. The former center admits the blame falls on him.
“The Diesel” revealed that infidelity and his failure to be present as a partner ultimately led to the divorce in 2009. The NBA legend, who had just wrapped up a Hall of Fame-caliber career, was suddenly forced to confront life without the safety net of family. The transition from the bright lights of the court to the silence of a massive, empty home hit hard.
Shaunie later admitted that their marriage was strained by her husband’s demanding career and the temptations that come with celebrity life. Even so, the former MVP doesn’t let himself off the hook. He knows he had something good and he knows he let it slip away.
Learning the hard way
Regret is a tough pill to swallow, even for someone with an ironclad persona like O’Neal. After retiring in 2011, he had the time and space to reflect on the choices he made — and the ones he didn’t. That’s when the emptiness of his home became a symbol of something deeper.
He has since made peace with Shaunie, and they’ve managed to co-parent their children with mutual respect. But the scars remain. Shaq has spoken openly about how losing his family forced him to grow. He is trying to prevent others from making the same mistakes.
“The point I was trying to make is that I want other people to learn from the mistakes that I made,” he said. “You get married, you make vows and you should be thankful for what you have. Stay with it. I want people, especially those in the public eye, to learn from me.”
O’Neal’s dominance on the court was built on strength, power and precision. But life off the court requires a different kind of strength — the strength to admit when you’ve failed and the courage to try to make it right.
For years, he was the guy who had it all: championships, endorsement deals, movie roles, even a platinum rap album. But the one thing he truly valued — family, slipped away because he didn’t protect it the way he protected the paint. Now, he’s using his story to try to save others from the same fate.
