After being nearly fifteen years divorced, Shaquille O'Neal can fairly assess the mistakes he's made in meeting love languages.
The former NBA player, who was married to Shaunie Henderson from 2002 to 2011, discussed the topic on the Aug. 11 episode of podcast Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard. Around the nine-minute mark of the video below, O'Neal said he "never had to go on dates" to interest a woman, but that the "transition back" to singleness has been "tough." O'Neal shares four biological children with Henderson, who is now married to Pastor Keion Henderson.
"I was reading The Five Love Languages, and I didn't realize that sitting with your wife watching TV is not spending quality time with her," O'Neal confessed.
"I was never taught [that], 'cause like you said, nobody wanted us. And then when I hit that cover of Sports Illustrated, [women were like] 'I'm coming with you,'" O'Neal continued.
Shepard then predicted that O'Neal's main love language is 'Words of Affirmation,' which the retired athlete called his "first one." When asked about what love language he can fulfill in a partner, O'Neal said he can "meet them all."
"Let me just say 'Acts of Service' isn't writing a check," Shepard joked. "Acts of service is like, mopping the floor. You can do that?"
"Now, I can do that. Ten years ago, I couldn't do that," O'Neal admitted.
Last October, O'Neal appeared on Angel Reese's Unapologetically Angel podcast, and predicted that he'll "end up alone." The comment came months after Henderson released her memoir Undefeated and shared grievances about her nine-year marriage to O'Neal.
"I always tell people, men should always be focused on three things: protecting, providing, and loving. But the problem with women is, you all want it in the order that you want it in," O'Neal told Reese about his relationship frustrations.
In May, Breakfast Club host Jess Hilarious alleged that O'Neal is polyamorous after visiting his home, which the sports icon didn't confirm or deny.