Shaquille O’Neal has denied being spotted with another woman after fans thought they spotted the ex-Los Angeles Lakers legend in a photo with a popular Instagram content creator as he stressed, “My woman name is Shaqirah.”
A photo uploaded from the @_1.filly account, which boasts over 200,000 followers, caught the attention of social media when a large man with a similar build to the four-time NBA champion appeared, holding the woman’s breasts.
It seemed as though it could be the soft-launch of a relationship and the man is clearly a lot larger than the woman and has an athletic build, as well as the same skin tone, although the face is not seen.
As a result, fans suspected it was O’Neal in the photo and after the chatter didn’t die down the 52-year-old came out to address and deny the rumors personally via his own social media platforms.
The NBA legend took to Instagram to post several photos where he has a similar position with other women, seemingly denying any sort of romantic involvement just from that pose alone, although In the photos he chose he wasn’t touching their breasts but their shoulders.
“Is this my girlfriend to,” the NBA legend posted online to rubbish the rumors. “Trust me I’ll let yall know who my woman is.
“And by the way my woman name is Shaqirah.”
Shaq’s post-divorce love life
Shaq has been officially free from long-term relationships since his divorce from Shaunie Nelson, the mother of his children. which began in 2009 and concluded in 2011, which the basketballer says was his own fault for being too “greedy”.
Nelson, who has now re-married, recently revealed to Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own, that she was unsure if she was ever in love with O’Neal himself but more the idea of him and their family.
“I understand…I wouldn’t have been in love with me either,” O’Neal said in response via Instagram. “Wishing you all the best. All love, Shaq.”
He had a two-year stint with Nicole Alexander from 2010-2012, and then with Laticia Rolle from 2014-2018 with Ranker reporting a total of six women have been connected to romances with the 6ft7in athlete.
