Shaquille O’Neal Admits to Crush on This Actress

Shaquille O’Neal admitted that meeting one particular A-list actress left him feeling flustered. On a recent episode of Complex’s "GOAT Talk," O’Neal recounted the moment he froze upon encountering his celebrity crush, Halle Berry.

The NBA legend shared, "But hold on, I had a shot one time and I froze,” recalling a chance encounter at the Four Seasons on Doheny in Los Angeles. “So one day, I’m in the elevator. I’m coming up from the bottom and the door opens. It’s me, D Mac, and the door opens and it’s Halle Berry.”

O’Neal explained that he became tongue-tied and couldn’t say a word. "All I could hear was ‘ding,’" he said. "But hold on, what made it worse, she spoke to me first. ‘Oh hello, Shaquille.’ So now I got a little woody and I’m just like… [opens mouth wide]. Then it opened and then she fcking walks out. And D Mac like, ‘You stupid motherfcker.’ So, Halle Berry… I know she has a little husband, but he won’t mind the story."

Halle Berry’s relationship history is well-known. The Oscar-winning actress has been married three times. She married David Justice in 1993, divorcing in 1997. Berry was married to Eric Benét from 2001 to 2005 and later to Olivier Martinez from 2013 to 2016. Between 2005 to 2010, she was in a relationship with Gabriel Aubry, with whom she shares a daughter, Nahla. Berry has been dating Van Hunt since 2020.

Shaquille O’Neal, meanwhile, has also had his share of relationships. He was married to Shaunie Henderson from 2002 to 2011, and they have four children: sons Shareef and Shaqir, and daughters Amirah and Me’arah. O’Neal also has children Myles B. O’Neal and Taahirah O’Neal from a previous relationship with Arnetta Yardbourgh.

O’Neal has openly discussed his regrets regarding his past romantic relationships. On R&B singer Monica’s podcast “Mo Talk Radio,” he admitted, “I had two perfect women and I messed it up. My first one was my baby mother, Arnetta [Yardbourgh], and then I met Shaunie [Nelson]. Shaunie was also a perfect woman and I messed it up."

He elaborated, “Yeah, you know, we were young and always just doing dumb stuff. But the good thing about our relationship is that they forgave me and we have a good relationship now. But when you ask me about the perfect woman – I had two perfect women and I messed it up, just by, you know, being dumb."

Shaquille O’Neal remains one of the most candid sports figures when it comes to his personal missteps, offering a relatable glimpse into the vulnerabilities of even the biggest stars.

Here’s a snippet from the GOAT Talk episode, highlighting Shaq’s amusing story about his encounter with Halle Berry.

Source: Complex