Shaquille O'Neal on why his daughters can live at home longer than his sons: 'I like my girls a little bit better'
Shaquille O'Neal just shared his parenting philosophy on Tuesday's episode of The Pivot Podcast.
"I tell my boys, when y'all get 18 you all got to go. Girls can stay as long as they want," he said.
O'Neal shares four kids with ex-wife Shaunie O'Neal – Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me'arah. He also shares his daughter Taahirah with former girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh. Shaunie has a son, Myles, from a previous relationship.
The former basketball star was not shy about stating he has favorites, explaining that he "like my girls a little bit better" and views them as more sensible than his sons.
"I trust them more because they're more sensitive, they're more caring and they're thinkers," he said of his daughters. "You know how boys are. My boys, you bring something right in front of them and they're gone."
He even went as far as to say that he will support his daughters in their post-graduate endeavors should they decide to go that route and that he is in absolutely no rush to see them go.
"[The girls] can stay as long as y'all want, take your time. Go to college, get your master's, get your doctorate, I'll pay for it, take your time," he said.
Shaq, 50, also took his time on the podcast to take accountability for his 2011 divorce from Shaunie.
"I had the perfect situation," O'Neal said of his nine-year marriage to Shaunie.
"Wife was finer than a mug. Kept giving me babies, still finer than a mug — I had it all."
He refused to let Shaunie take any blame for the split, owning up to what he claims to be one of his biggest regrets.
"I don't make excuses. I know I messed up," he said, adding that his failed marriage with Shaunie, as well as his strained relationships with former NBA stars Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant are some of his biggest lifelong regrets.
"Big mistake in the Penny relationship. Big mistake in the Kobe relationship," he said. "I was arrogant, I was dumb, but sometimes when you do a lot of stuff you don't wanna work at stuff. Those are the only three major regrets that I have."
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