Shaquille O’Neal, Who Cheated on Ex-Wife Shaunie O’Neal, Claimed He Was Loyal to Girlfriend Nikki
Emily Beck
Published Apr 10, 2026
Former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal confessed to being a serial cheater but claimed to be loyal to ex-girlfriend Nikki in his book.
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Shaquille O’Neal is a magnanimous personality. He has pretty much become a gentle giant, a friendly figure that looms large in NBA history. But this wasn’t always the case.
In his NBA days, when his popularity was at its absolute peak, there were a few rough edges to his personality. On the court, he liked to terrorize opponents. Off the court, he got into feuds and cheated on his partner(s).
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After Ime Udoka’s cheating scandal went viral, Shaq acknowledged his own cheating days. He claimed to be a serial cheater while married to Shaunie O’Neal. But in his book, O’Neal also claimed that while he was unfaithful to his ex-wife, he remained loyal to Nikki Alexander until at least the time of writing the book.
Shaquille O’Neal was loyal to Nikki Alexander
To be fair to Shaq, in the now infamous episode of The Big Podcast, he wasn’t gloating about infidelity. He was remorseful. To his credit, it seems like he knows that cheating was always wrong. His remorse sounded and felt honest.
On a similar note, he wrote in his book how he was ecstatic around Nikki Alexander. The 7’1″ center confessed that he was loyal to Nikki. Though it was difficult for him but he was, at the time of writing the book, trying really hard to stay straight.
He also believed that Nikki was a lot more similar to him than Shaunie O’Neal. Together, Shaq and Alexander maintained a wild and unpredictable life. He even planned of going on a ‘Shaqfari’ with her.
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Shaq broke up with Nikki in 2012
Shaq’s relationship with Nikki ended up rather soon despite their passion. Bleacher Report in an article discussed rumors of what led to the breakup.
Allegedly, Diesel and Nikki went to a gymnastics gym. Alexander was denied entry by the gym because of its policy to only train girls under 18 for insurance purposes. The rejection didn’t sit too well with the lady. She reacted badly to the situation.
Eventually, her anger turned toward Shaq. The two had an ugly spat after which O’Neal broke up with her. Nikki later denied these rumors on Twitter.
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