Shaquille O'Neal refuses to judge Ime Udoka, chooses to address his own infidelity instead / News - Basketnews.com

Shaquille O’Neal isn't willing to join Ime Udoka's critics after the former Celtics coach was implicated in a scandal that cost him his position.

Credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne-USA Today Sports Credit AP Photo/Steven Senne-USA Today Sports

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has admitted his own missteps in discussing the Ime Udoka scandal, saying it would be "blasphemous" for him to judge the subject for his past infidelity.

Udoka was banned from the Celtics for the entire 2021-22 season for violation of team policy – reportedly an intimate relationship with a female staffer – and faces the prospect of never coaching the team again.

But O’Neal, who has admitted to cheating on ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal, made it clear that he had no intention of lecturing Udoka for his actions.

"I'm going to stop this conversation," O’Neal said on "The Big Podcast with Shaq."

"I was a serial cheater. It would be crazy and blasphemous for me to stand here and say, 'Boom, boom, bam.' I cannot do that. I know these guys personally. I know they're going through a lot, because I've been through a lot," the retired athlete said.

At one point during the podcast, Shaq even got near tears as he acknowledged that his mistakes led to a really painful divorce that prevented him from seeing his kids for a long time.

"I'm never the guy that's going to get up here because of my platform and fake it," he revealed. "I did it. I was the best at it. I'm not proud of it. I lost my family doing it and I lost valuable and important years with my children for doing it.

So, I refuse to get up here and be like 'You shouldn't do this, you shouldn't have done that," he continued. "I'm not that guy. I'm real with the situation."

Today, he knows cheating isn't worth it. Why? Because, "The happiest days of my life were coming home and hearing six different people say 'Daddy'. Happiest days of my life," he said.

"Forget the money, forget the cars, even forget the championships. When I lost those days, I was all the way down. When I lost that from being stupid it killed me."

Now, he is rooting for his pals to learn from their mistakes. "I wish these two fellas the best," the Lakers legend added, "and I hope they do not lose their families over what was done."

O’Neal married his ex-wife in 2002 before filing for divorce in 2009. He admitted his past infidelity in his memoirs "Shaq Uncut: my story", which was released in 2011.

"My ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy once, but I admit it: I was a man. I was a man with too many options," he wrote.

"Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that's up to me. I've never done it disrespectfully in my eyes, but of course I shouldn't have done it all," Shaq admitted.

"You know as well as I do that relationships are about maintaining… It wasn't the big things, it was the little things, and that's my fault," O’Neal wrote in his memoir.

"I had things to do. I was trying to win, trying to make some money. I admit I wasn't the best partner. I just didn't know how. I'm learning now."

The couple have co-parent their four children since the divorce.

Udoka has been engaged to actress Nia Long since 2010 and the couple have a son together.

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