UNDEFEATED

The executive producer of Basketball Wives opens up about a personal evolution that led her away from a life with Shaquille O’Neal and into one as the entrepreneur wife of a minister.

When Henderson met O’Neal in 1999, she was a young single mother working at 20th Century Fox. The NBA star’s power had no effect on her; what did was the dramatic “charm offensive” he used to get her to accept an eventual relationship with him. For the next decade, Henderson dedicated herself to him and their family, enjoying the privileged lifestyle her status as O’Neal’s wife brought. However, his frequent absences and the extramarital affairs she denied for many years drove a wedge between them. In 2009, Henderson took their children and left without asking for “a cent,” seeking “to be free to have the life I wanted, on my terms, even while raising five kids under eleven.” For the next several years, she became the target of media speculation about her divorce from O’Neal, which falsely painted her as the unfaithful spouse. Yet it was during this time that she also found her way into entrepreneurial projects, including the creation of the long-running Basketball Wives reality TV series. Though she intended the show as an exploration of “Black women’s issues,” the pressure for ratings brought racist sensationalism to later episodes, a trend Henderson fought against by partnering with BET. The author’s life changed yet again when she fell in love with a minister, understanding that his “character, confidence, and kindness” were what her older, wiser self really wanted from a relationship. This frank yet gracefully restrained memoir about lessons learned on the way to fulfillment will undoubtedly appeal to Henderson’s many fans and anyone who follows the Basketball Wives franchise.

A candid memoir sure to inspire readers seeking inspiration to changer their life trajectories.