At any given time, there are a select few athletes who are popular enough that even non-sports fans are very much aware of them. For example, there is no doubt that people like Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Pelé, Wayne Gretzky, and Usain Bolt are known all over the world. Just like all of those famous athletes, Shaquille O'Neal has managed to punch through the sports bubble to become an all-around star.
As someone that is going to stand out in any crowd, given his huge size, Shaq easily could have let his athletic record do all of the talking for him. However, he also has a gigantic personality which is a big portion of the reason why Shaq didn’t get along with a lot of NBA players during his career. On the bright side, Shaq’s larger than life personality is the reason why so many people remain fans of him years after he retired from basketball.
Even though Shaquille O'Neal has been in the public eye throughout his entire adult life, people tend to pay less attention to his personal life than many other stars. With that in mind, it makes us wonder who the women in Shaq’s life have been over the years.
Family Comes First
Given the fact that Shaquille O'Neal is such an outspoken fellow, it likely won’t come as a surprise to anyone that the woman who brought him up has a big personality too. After giving birth to Shaq when she was only 17-years-old, Lucille O'Neal revealed during an interview with Today that she struggled because she didn’t have much money and her family “ was always lacking something”. That said, it is very clear that Lucille was an attentive and loving mother and remains so to this day as she revealed that she is “always in the thick of it” with her kids during that same interview.
The patriarch of a large family, Shaquille O'Neal has 6 children in all, 3 of whom are daughters. Unsurprisingly, Shaq’s post-basketball life is still exceedingly busy but that doesn’t mean that he is an inattentive parent. For example, he wants his kids to be well-rounded people so they reportedly won’t get any inheritance from him unless they get they earn their Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees.
Wedded Miss
During Shaquille O'Neal’s time in the NBA, it was no secret that for a long time he didn’t get along with Kobe Bryant at all. Fortunately, while it was clear that the two men never became best buddies, they did manage to develop a certain level of mutual respect that allowed them to work together for years. In Shaq’s personal life, however, the story was very different as in 2009 his wife Shaunie Nelson filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.
After Shaq and Shaunie began dating during the late-‘90s, for a long time it seemed like Shaq and Shaunie were meant to go the distance. With Shaq popping the question in the year 2000, the couple went on to tie the knot in 2002. Going on to have 4 of Shaq’s 6 children together, their relationship was seemingly set to end in 2007 when Shaq filed for divorce. However, Shaunie would later go on to say that things were back on track for the couple only to end their marriage herself.
Shorter Term Relationships
On top of his wife of many years, Shaquille O'Neal has been romantically linked to a lot of different women over the years. For example, in 1992 Shaq brought his then-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh with him to the NBA draft. Reportedly together from 1992 until 1996, Yardbourgh gave birth to Shaq’s first child.
After Shaq’s marriage came to an end, the first woman he was linked to had a personality that may have been even bigger than his. Previously featured in the VH1 “reality” show Flavor of Love, Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander was involved with Shaq from 2010 until 2012. After that relationship broke up, Shaq was linked to the model Laticia Rolle and author Karrine Steffans. At one point, Shaq was also rumored to be dating “reality” star Laura Govan but both of them have denied those accounts. Additionally, emails, and messages Shaq exchanged with Dominica Westling were released in 2010 and they were rumored to have had an affair.
Most recently, it came to light that Shaquille O'Neal and Chicago Fire actor Annie Ilonzeh were a couple after they were spotted strolling together holding hands in New York City. Captured on camera together several times, the paparazzi even snapped photos of the pair on vacation in Spain. Given that traveling together is a big step in any relationship, it certainly seems like Shaq and Annie were far from a fling but there is no way to know for sure if they are still together.