Shaq has decided to steer clear of the conversation surrounding Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who was suspended for a year for having an “intimate” and “consensual” relationship with a female member of the Celtics organization. His reason for not joining in on the conversation, Shaq admits, is because he was a serial cheater when married to his ex-wife Shaunie.
Shaq spoke on his reason for not commenting on the conversation in the latest episode of his podcast The Big Podcast with Shaq. “I was a serial cheater” Shaq said. “It would be crazy and blasphemous for me to get up here and say, ‘Boom, boom, bam.’ I can’t do that.”
Shaq also added that he doesn’t want to speak on the situation because he personally knows the people involved in this situation.
“I know these guys personally,” the basketball legend said. “I know they’re going through a lot because I went through a lot.”
Shaq added: “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 from doing it. So, I refuse to get up here and be like ‘You shouldn’t do this, you shouldn’t have done that. I’m not that guy. I’m real with the situation.”
Udoka was suspended last week for the entire 2022-2023 NBA season. Many criticized the announcement of Udoka’s infidelity because at the time had not been suspended or fired. As of recent, former NBA players such as Richard Jefferson and Matt Barnes have kept quiet on the situation, saying that there is more to the story than Udoka having had a relationship with an employee.
“Last night, without knowing all the facts, I spoke on Ime Udoka’s defense and after finding out the facts after I spoke, I erased what I posted because this situation in Boston is deep, it’s messy, it’s 100 times uglier than any of us thought,” Barnes said.
“Some things happened that I can’t condone, I can’t back, and it’s not my place to tell you what happened,” he continued. “If it ends up coming out, it ends up coming out. But that is the reason why I erased my post last night because after I posted it, I got a call from someone who ran all the details and s**t is deep. Praying for everybody involved, hope everyone gets through this.”
