NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal Doesn’t Have a Girlfriend but Rumor Has It He Is Dating Influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey

November 14, 2026

This article was last updated by Aditi Rai on November 15, 2026

Shaquille O’Neal married his longtime girlfriend, Shaunie O’Neal, in 2002; however, they divorced in 2009. Meanwhile, he is rumored to be dating influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey.

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal is an American former professional basketball who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the NBA.

Hailed as one of the greatest basketball players, O’Neal is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA.

Standing 7-foot-1-inch tall and weighing 325 pounds, he dominated the league with his brilliance, winning four championships and becoming one of the league’s most iconic centers.

Shaquille O’Neal’s Ex-Wife, Shaunie O’Neal, Was His Long-Time Girlfriend Before Their Marriage!

Arnetta Yardbourgh was Shaquille O’Neal’s first girlfriend. They dated for almost four years until separating in 1996.

Shaquille and Arnetta share one daughter from their relationship. Moreover, Arnetta is a successful businesswoman, motivational speaker, philanthropist, and licensed professional counselor.

Then, in 1998, Shaquille started dating Shaunie Nelson. Due to its longevity, his relationship with Shaunie garnered significant attention from the public.

On December 26, 2002, Shaquille eventually tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Shaunie.

The couple welcomed their five children(one daughter from his previous relationship), adding joy and happiness to their married life.

However, their marriage was fraught with difficulties, resulting in their separation in 2011.

The NBA star filed for divorce from Shaunie in a Miami-Dade Circuit court on September 4, 2007. However, the couple reunited soon after and withdrew the divorce petition.

After nine years together and allegations of numerous affairs, Shaunie eventually declared her intention to file for divorce on November 10, 2009.

O’Neal blamed himself for their failed marriage, admitting he made mistakes and was “greedy.”

On April 19, 2026, Shaq shared his guilt over his failed marriage with Shaunie while chatting on The Pivot Podcast.

“

“I’m glad you guys asked because I don’t mind talking about this, but I was bad. She was awesome. She really was. It was all me.” 

“Sometimes when you live that double life, you get caught up. I’m not going to say it was her. She did exactly what she was supposed to do and gave me beautiful kids, take care of the house, take care of the corporate stuff. It was just all me.”

“Sometimes, when you make a lot of mistakes like that, you can’t really come back from that.” 

Shaquille O’Neal

Despite their split, Shaq and Shaunie are still friends and huge supporters of each other.

Shaunie has established herself as a prominent television personality and executive producer of the VH1 reality series Basketball Wives.

Furthermore, she is a successful businesswoman and philanthropist with an estimated net worth of $35 million.  On May 22, 2026, Shaunie married Keion Henderson, a musician and a pastor.

Besides his successful NBA career, Shaquille is infamous for his dating life.

Shaq Has Been Linked With Several Names, Including Maria Ozuna Teachey, Following His Divorce From Shaunie O’Neal!

After his split with Shaunie, there were rumors about him dating Karrine Steffans, a famous author and former video vixen.

While Karrine claimed in an interview that she had an affair with Shaq, he never confirmed her claims.

Then, in 2009, Shaq was rumored to be dating Swedish model, actress, and nanny Dominica Westling amidst the dissolution of his marriage with Shaunie with allegations of infidelity.

Dominica gained popularity solely based on her alleged affair with the basketball giant.

In 2010, rumors about Shaq dating well-known reality TV star Laura Govan started circulating in the media.

However, Laura denied the rumors, stating that her relationship with the NBA star was platonic.

Amidst speculations regarding his relationship with Laura, Shaq began dating Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander, an entrepreneur, television personality, and fitness expert. After nearly two years of dating, they decided to discontinue their relationship.

Shaquille’s next girlfriend was Laticia Rolle, a model and entrepreneur with a visible online presence.

The NBA star seemed serious in that relationship as rumors about their engagement started swirling around in the media. Surprisingly, Shaq and Laticia broke up in 2018 after a four-year journey.

In January 2026, O’Neal referred to Annie Ilonzeh as his “rumored girlfriend” in an interview.

The Nigerian-American actress is best known for her role in TV shows like General Hospital and Chicago Fire.

There was also speculation that suggested O’Neal was allegedly dating Brittany Renner. However, both parties denied the rumor, admitting to being simply friends.

Recently, Shaq again found himself surrounded by rumors of dating influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey.

The rumor started after Maria , asking fans to guess who she was with.

After thorough observation, fans concluded that the mystery man in that picture might have been Shaquille.

While Maria deleted the picture from her Instagram, the picture is still present on her Facebook page.

Once the NBA star got hints about the rumor, he took to his Instagram to deny all the allegations by sharing a witty post.

Similarly, O’Neal performed a goofy dance move with media personality Alexa Leighton with a caption:

“My real girlfriend knows I’m a big black exotic dancer “

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Since Shaquille has kept his personal life private in recent years, Annie Ilonzeh is his last known girlfriend.

In Case You Didn’t Know

• Shaquille O’Neal’s father, Joe Toney, was a high school All-State guard who was offered a basketball scholarship to play at Seton Hall. 
• O’Neal’s Muslim stepfather, Philip Arthur Harrison, and his Baptist mother, Lucille O’Neal, raised him.
• His son, Shareef O’Neal, is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League.

• Check other Articles on

As a content writer at Players Bio, Rimsha Khatri's primary goal is to write well-researched news articles about athletes and sports. She prioritizes leveraging her literary abilities and creative flair to deliver entertaining and highly informative content to readers and subscribers.

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