Shaunie Says Viral Comment Was Taken Out of Context

Last week an excerpt from Shaunie Henderson's new memoir, "Undefeated," went viral where she admits she’s not sure if she ever really loved her ex husband Shaquille O’Neal, to which he responded, "I understand [click here if you missed that]." 

Shaunie says the quote was taken out of context…

From People Magazine 

Henderson exclusively tells PEOPLE she saw O'Neal's cryptic message and believes the excerpt was "taken out of context." She explains, "My book is my truth, and when I was talking to my friend yesterday, I was like, developing an opinion and a comment from content with no context will show you a lot of people's intelligence and unintelligence, right? There was no context to just that one quote that I said, and I think that sadly, people are taking my words out of context."

"I'm not a word girl. I'm a character girl, and since I've left the marriage of Shaquille, my character has spoken for itself," she continues.

Henderson says she "can't speak for" O'Neal — or "why he would run with" the out-of-context excerpt on social media — "but it's my book, my truth, and it's my legacy."

After O'Neal's response circulated on social media, Henderson says she spoke to a friend who experienced a similar uncertainty in a relationship. "It's funny, another girlfriend called me and was like, 'I know exactly what you were saying.' She goes, 'I didn't know that I wasn't in love with my first fiancé.' She never did get married, but she was like, 'My fiancé, you couldn't tell me I wasn't in love then.' "

Henderson shares that her friend revealed that "it wasn't until I got older and now I'm married to my husband that I know what being in love feels like," which is a feeling the Basketball Wives star completely understands.