*After dating for two years, Shaunie O’Neal and Pastor Keion Henderson have announced that they are engaged.
“This was one of the most magical and special days of my life, being someone that had never officially been proposed to — like no down on one knee and asked ‘will you marry me’ moment,” Shaunie says in a statement to PEOPLE. “And honestly I’m the person that thought I would never in my lifetime experience a love like this. Everything about that night was incredibly amazing.”
She continues, “I wouldn’t change a single thing. As a matter of fact, I wish I could experience it over and over again. Keion is an extraordinary man of God. He’s wise, he’s supportive, he’s so loving and attentive. He loves me and my children in a way that has changed my life and my heart. He makes me want to be better every day. And I pray that I do the same for him. This love is FOREVER and I’m honored and overjoyed to do forever with him.”
The couple got engaged on a tropical island where Henderson proposed with “a custom 4.22-karat radiant-cut diamond ring with 50 round-cut brilliant white diamonds set in an 18-karat white gold band by Jason of Beverly Hills,” the outlet writes.
READ MORE: Shaunie O’Neal Responds to Shaq’s Shocking Claim That He Wants to Remarry Her
.@iamshaunie and Pastor Keion Henderson Are Engaged: ‘This Love Is Forever’ https://t.co/atgFvVTt8H
— People (@people) November 16, 2021
Per PEOPLE, the 11/11 motif has been “a meaningful symbolism and point of connection” for Shaunie and Henderson, her rep says. It “has played a significant role throughout their relationship since the day they met as they call, text or pray together daily at that time each day without fail. Thus it became the perfect day to cement their love.”
Henderson and O’Neal met two years ago through a mutual friend. The pastor has one daughter from a previous relationship, while Shaunie shares four children with her ex-husband, NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal. The former couple was married from 2002 to 2011. Shaunie also has a son from a previous relationship.
Shaunie and Shaq reportedly split in 2009 due to his cheating. The former Los Angeles Laker confessed to his infidelities in his memoir, writing: “At one time my ex-wife Shaunie and I were happy, but I admit it–I was a guy. I was a guy with too many options. Choosing to be with some of those women, well, that’s on me. In my mind, I never did it disrespectfully, but obviously, I shouldn’t have done it all.”
Shaunie responded to his cheating by: “I went in the arena, and I went in that garage, not only did I flatten tires, bust a few windows, I wrote on the hood of his car, ‘I cheat on my wife. I ain’t sh*t’ with a knife.”
Meanwhile, Henderson said of Shainie in a statement to PEOPLE, “I’ve never been more loved than I am right now.”
He continued, “I’ve never met a more supportive person in my life. There is an inseparable connection that is undeniable between Shaunie and I,” he says. “I am unwilling to let anyone else occupy her space. The love and respect we share for each other contributes to our ever evolving humility and growth. Which ultimately makes us more like God. Who wouldn’t want a spouse that makes you more like The Creator? She simply brings out the best in me, and wants the best for me. Any love that accomplishes all of that naturally is worth pursuing. Our engagement is the beginning of a new day.”
Congratulations to the beautiful couple!
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