Shaunie O’Neal Bio

Although a lot of people may recognize Shauni as the ex-wife of Shaquille O’Neal, a famous basketball player in the NBA. She is also a considerably big character on reality TV shows, such as Shaunie’s Home Court and The Love Shack.

I am here to talk about her life and achievements outside of her celebrity marriage, and dig a little deeper into her professional career as a budding entrepreneur, as well as look deeper into the infamous rumors of her affairs.

So throughout this Shaunie O’Neal bio, you will find out about her early life before she was married, her life as a producer and TV personality, and more about her net worth. I will also briefly examine some of what Shaunie has to say about her success before and after Shaquille.

If you’re interested in finding out about others who’ve made successful careers surrounding the world of basketball, head over and read our Tom Gores Bio when you’re done here.

Shaunie O’Neal Bio Facts

Full Name: Shauni O’Neal (previously Va’shaundya Karlette Nelson)
Birth Date: 27th November 1974
Birth Place: Wichita Falls, Texas
Nick Name: Ghetto
Nationality: American
Siblings: Cori – Sister, and an older brother – name currently unknown
Children: Amirah O’Neal, Me’arah O’Neal, Shareef O’Neal, Shaqir O’Neal and Myles O’Neal
Partner / Spouse: Keion Henderson
Profession: Film marketer, producer, TV personality and
Salary: $150,000 per show
Net Worth: $35 million
Social Media: Shaunie Henderson (@iamshaunie)
Companies Associated With: NBA, Basketball Wives, VH1,
Last Updated: July 2022

Shaunie O’Neal Key Facts Summary

  • She often participates in Mission Christmas for the homeless.
  • She is known to be actively involved with charities and causes which aim to protect women and children’s welfare.
  • She began working on a show called “Let’s Talk About It,” where she looked into companies that addressed female businesswomen and encouraged them to feel more powerful and become more successful.
  • She hosted a charity event at the Louis Vuitton on Rodeo Drive. The proceeds were donated to a cause supporting underprivileged children.
  • She attended a gala called “Habitat for Humanity,” which took place in 2012 in LA.
  • She got divorced from Shaquille in 2004.
  • One of her children, Myles, is from a previous marriage.
  • Shauni and Shaquille were only married for 5 years.
  • Shaunie was in a serious car crash in 2009 which required a substantial time off work to recover from.

Shaunie O’Neal Birthplace and Early Life

Before everyone knew her as Shauni, she was actually named Va’Shaundya Karlette Nelson by her parents. Her mother was called Lucille O’Neal, but her father’s name is unknown. I think that she spent most of her childhood being brought up by her non-biological father, but I am unsure about the relationship she had or still has with her real father. Shauni makes clear that her step-father always treated her like his own and showed her plenty of love and guidance. (1)

Her mother and step-father did have other children together, but their names and lives seem to be kept relatively private. In fact, Shauni recently posted a rare picture on her Instagram page that showed her standing with her brother and sister, claiming that it was their first photo taken together in over two years. Her sister is older than Shauni, and her brother is younger.

There isn’t much information about where Shauni went to school or whether or not she went to college. Still, we know that she went to the University of Southern California, where she graduated from in 1977.

Shaunie O’Neal Early Business Success

Shaunie’s professional career started when she became a film marketer for Fox Entertainment. Of course, her later marriage to Shaquille launched her fame even further into the media.

In 2009, Shaunie produced and starred in a TV movie called The Love Shaq. Once she gained more recognition, she became the executive producer for Basketball Wives, a reality TV show that aired in 2010 on VH1 that looks at the lives of those who are married to the biggest basketball stars in the world.

I found it odd that when she joined the show, as she had already been divorced from her basketball husband for a few years, which begged the question from some confused fans, why was she on the show? But, I suppose that despite no longer being married to Shaquille, she still shared 4 children with him and was often still in the limelight because of their previous life together.

She remained the show’s executive producer for three years and worked in Basketball Wives LA, which she also created; this show ran for four years, and then, in 2017, came Baller Wives (2), which hit the screens in 2017.

She took part in a show that was named after her, called Shaunie’s Home Court, which is also a show that looks into the lives of basketball players’ wives but with a bit more of a comedic style. (3)

Throughout her years on our screens, she also appears on other shows such as The Wendy Williams Show, The Real, a 2014 documentary called Dumb it Down, and even as a guest star on Hell’s Kitchen. 

It’s been a few years since Shaunie was frequenting our screens, so what’s she been doing since? Well, she’s gone on to build a career in film marketing and continues to try and build her empire even further; she has even launched her own shoe brand. (4)

If you want to read about someone else who made their wealth after appearing on our TV screens, then you might want to check out our Barry Weiss Bio.

Shaunie O’Neal Videos

This video compiles some of the most popular bits from her show Basketball Wives.

Best Of Shaunie O’Neal & Shareef, Shaqir & Myles (Compilation) | Basketball Wives – YouTube

Shaunie and Keion sit down with MB magazine and talk about what’s happening in their lives now they’re married.

Pastor Keion & Shaunie Henderson Sit Down with The MB Mag in Powerful Interview! – YouTube

Shaunie discusses her relationship with her ex-husband Shaquille and what it’s like supporting each other after marriage.

Shaunie O’Neal Reflects on Co-Parenting with Shaq: “It Was Not an Easy Journey” – YouTube

Shaunie O’Neal Business Failures

As far as we know, Shaunie has a pretty clean-cut lifestyle, unlike many of the people we know and love reality TV. Despite her divorce, she still gets on very well with basketball player Shaquille, and they do their best to co-parent their children and do the best for them. (5)

Regarding her career, all the shows she starred in and produced were a success at the time for those who were a fan of that kind of thing, and they had a pretty good run time of four or five years each, which tells me, they weren’t a failure.

I think it will be interesting to see what comes of Shaunie in her new ventures and new marriage.

Shaunie O’Neal Family

Image from NBAFamily Fandom

Before her marriage to basketball star Shaquille, Shaunie had one child, a son, with a previous partner, whose name is unknown. This son was called Myles, and when Shaunie remarried, Shaquille took on the role of his step-father straight away. (6)

Shaunie married Shaquille O’Neal on the 26th of December 2002; the service took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel. As you can imagine, their marriage and lives were often in the public eye, and they were seen on many magazine covers, even more so when accusations arose about their affairs.

Between them, they had four children, their eldest son Shareef, who followed in his father’s footsteps down the path of basketball, and also Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah. Shaq also has a daughter from a previous relationship. The couple parted ways for a short time in 2007 but then reconciled before they ended their relationship in 2009, with their divorce finalized in 2011.

More recently, in 2021, it was announced that Shaunie was in a new relationship with musician and pastor Keion Henderson. They got married in May this year. (7)

Shaunie O’Neal Net Worth and Career Earnings

Shaunie made a lot of her wealth during her marriage to Shaquille O’Neal. This is probably the main contribution to her now immense net worth of $35 million.

She was paid around $150,000 per episode when she worked on reality TV. She continues to earn and grow her empire as an entrepreneur in film marketing and, more recently, by launching her own footwear brand. According to some reports, she also gets $10,000 in alimony.

If you’re interested in finding out who else has made their millions through the sporting industry, then have a look at our David Tepper Bio.

Shaunie O’Neal Real Estate Holdings

As it stands, the ex-basketball wife currently lives in a $2.8 million mansion in Texas. The property is 8800 square feet and is situated within a beautiful landscape.

The house features five bedrooms and seven bathrooms and sits within half an acre of land. It has a red-tiled roof and an ornate bricked archway at the entrance. The property is closed with large iron gates, and the grand foyer has a central staircase. (8)

Shaunie O’Neal Quotes

Here are just a few things Shaunie has to say about her life as a basketball ex-wife and TV personality.

“I never wanted to lose who I am, my character, or my integrity for the sake of Hollywood.”

“Don’t underestimate me, I know more than I speak, and I notice more than you realize.”

“I am no longer accepting things I can’t change. I am changing the things I can’t accept.”

“I am never one to act the fool. Not at home, not in public.”

Shaunie O’Neal FAQs

Question: Why Did Shaunie O’Neal Divorce Shaquille?

Answer: According to research, the two eventually parted ways due to too many differences.

Question: Did Shaunie O’Neal Have an Affair?

Answer: It has been reported that when Shaunie was married to Shaquille, he had a private investigator follow her, which proved that she was, in fact, having an affair with a music promoter. She also had affairs with two other men during their marriage.

Question: Where Did Shaunie O’Neal and Keion Henderson Get Married?

Answer: Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club in Rendezvous Bay in the Caribbean.

Recommended Reads:

Research Citations

  1. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQW9FcfhMV_/
  2. VH1 | Facebook
  3. Shaunie’s Home Court (TV Series 2016– ) – IMDb
  4. What Does Shaunie, Shaquille O’Neal’s Remarried Millionaire Ex-Wife, Do for a Living? – EssentiallySports
  5. Shaunie O’Neal on Co-Parenting Relationship with Shaq | PEOPLE.com
  6. Shaquille O’Neal- Meet Eldest Son Of NBA Player Shaquille O’Neal (marriedceleb.com)
  7. Shaunie O’Neal Marries Keion Henderson | PEOPLE.com
  8. Inside Basketball Wives star Shaunie O’Neal’s $2.8M Houston mansion featuring massive pool, library and elevator | The US Sun (the-sun.com)
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