VH1 Interview: Shaunie O Neal (Basketball Wives)

Basketball Wives Star Shaunie O Neal recently did an interview with  VH1.com about the reunion show which will air this Sunday. She also talks about the show in general and the other girls. She wants to cast married couples for season 2.

 I feel like I’m talking to God because of the way that everyone reveres you on the show: “Shaunie said do this,” “Shaunie said do that…”

That’s very weird.

Is it? It’s kind of fun too, right?

I don’t know, because they’re my friends. It’s really weird and sometimes uncomfortable, because outside looking in, I know it does come off like that. But I don’t feel like that and that’s not how it really is. I think it’s because I’m the oldest and I’ve been in that world for a little longer than the rest of the ladies, they look to me for advice. It’s not that I’m sitting high and mighty like, “You do this, my child, and you do that.” I’m not really a cast member. These girls are put into situations, but what happens at that thing is what happens. These are their real personalities. On a day-to-day basis, I didn’t know what they were doing.  I’d see the call sheets, but I’m in California. I got five kids. It’s not that I put them out there or I told them to do this or do that. There are a lot of producers on this show and several executive producers. I’m not the voice of everything. That’s why it’s important for me to join Season 2 and be more of a cast member. So that, you’ll see.

That said, you are the unifying thread here. What everyone on this show has in common is that they respect you openly.

That is true and I hope I still have the girls’ respect. They know me off the camera, and on camera I’m the same person. Keep in mind, too, that a lot of what the girls do is discussed amongst them, like them coming to L.A. We talked about it — it was never like, “Hey girls, get on a plane tomorrow, because you’re coming here and you’re going to take a cooking class, and you’re going to do this and that.”

You mentioned that you’re not in the cast. The rumor that spread once Shaq started threatening legal action over the show was that your role was diminished in response. But you’re saying that your presence on the show was always supposed to be minimal?

Absolutely. We wrapped before he did his paperwork. All the episodes were in the can. It kind of was one of those things where he was pissed about the promo and I get it, I totally get it. I had nothing to do with that and he knows that. I’m not the only executive producer, so sometimes it’s just my little hand that says, “Hey can we not run that?” I get overruled on some things and I understand that from the business side. He was a little upset, but he’s fine now.

You talked a little about him on the last episode, but you said nice things like, “We’re so cool.”

Absolutely, we’re cool. He knows me and he knows I would never, ever bash him or anything like that. I mean, what other people say is what other people say. I can’t control that, but we have five kids. I just wouldn’t do that. Plus he and I both know that our goal here is to maintain the best relationship. Of course, we’re human. We have ups and downs and stop talking for a couple of days and go back, but ultimately it’s fine.

As this mostly detached figure, when you do enter the fold and Evelyn and Jennifer inform you what happened, we often see you laughing. You’re relatable from a viewer’s perspective as someone who’s amused by this whole Basketball Wives world.

It is funny sometimes, because it’s just like gossiping girls. We all do it and guys gossip too. So it’s like when your girlfriends come around and tell you about things that happened and you’re like, “Shut up! When? Who? How is her face? What did she look like?” It is amusing. It’s pure entertainment. We have those conversations on or off the camera. It’s real.

Are you enjoying this show in general?

I totally am enjoying it. I had to get kind of used it, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to people talking about my friends and saying they’re groupies and they’re gold diggers and they’re this and that. I have to look at it like those same people are helping to make this show a success. But mostly, hats off to the girls on the show. Not only did they bust their ass, they just gave it to you. That’s a scary thing, because here they are getting all the people’s comments and people’s opinions. Who wants to hear that? But they’ve made this No. 1. They’ve done that.

Your storyline mostly concerned Gloria. You took her aside in the first episode and you said, “We’re cool.” But by the finale, it seemed that everything wasn’t cool.  What had happened between the premiere and the finale?

It was her talking, her running her mouth. The Gloria that’s on this show, I don’t know who that is. That’s a new person to me. The person that I knew was this really sweet girl. She was kind of the quiet one. We took pole-dancing classes together in Phoenix. She’d ask me about the babies, just mom questions or whatever. The Basketball Wives Gloria was very defensive and kind of harsh and cold. I didn’t know that person. Although I have to say when I was around, it was softened a little bit. The girls were just like, “Why do you have us hanging around her? She is nothing like [us]. Why were you her friend, ever? I don’t get it.” And I’m like, “Really?” Maybe she came on defensive because she was ready for us to attack her about her sister, and I get that. But even after she saw that I wasn’t doing that initially, it never was comfortable between us. Anytime I was in town, even if I was off camera and just sitting back as an E.P., it still was real uncomfortable, like the elephant in the room. I think I went into the finale still kind of like, “OK, let’s not even do it, let’s be cool, let’s get through dinner.” But then: her attitude. It was enough already. Like listen, I don’t know what that is, but let’s check it at the door. It’s sometimes better to be quiet and maybe that’s what she needed to do. I walked away from it, brushed off my hands, flicked her off like a fly. She’s pointless. I’m not angry [with] her. She’s one of those people that come and go. You know how they say you’re seasons for some people? She was a short one.

I didn’t realize that you guys were cool before this show. I thought that having her on was building in drama because of allegations regarding her sister.

No, I approached her when we were in Phoenix. Both my husband at the time and her fiancé were playing for the Suns. We were very cool. I gave her her baby shower for her kids with the Suns’ organization. I organized it. I put it together, everything. We talked on the regular. I was close with her whole family, her sister. I helped her put her kid’s birthday party together. I mean, our kids went trick-or-treating together. Everything. We were really cool. So to see that thing that she was giving off, it’s like, c’mon sweetie. I’ve sat up with your family and played Jenga. We made plans for summer vacations and stuff together, so what is this?

Royce had very similar problems with Gloria. She felt she was bonding on that level with her and then she felt like she was thrown under the bus.

I didn’t put the two together, but you’re absolutely right. I don’t know maybe that’s the coldness of her, like she don’t really care about too much about anything.  The whole sister bond thing kills me, because after I met Gloria, I met her sister, and her sister and I became closer than Gloria and I. Her sister would tell me some awful things about her and I never shared them with each other. Gloria never talked about her sister, but her sister definitely talked about Gloria and I never shared that with Gloria because that’s none of my business.

Do you agree with Evelyn’s point made during the “last supper”: that blood only goes so far? That there are certain things that can’t be excused just because of a familial bond?

The crazy part is neither Gloria nor her sister have ever said, “No, that did not happen.” You know? Never. Not once. OK, fine. Maybe you don’t know. You weren’t there, neither was I, but at the same time, don’t say, “Well I got her back no matter what.” So you have her back if it’s true, too?  Just as another woman, that’s OK? So, that was my problem. It wasn’t like I needed her to say yes or no, but to tell me she’s got her sister’s back regardless? I’ve had friends that have messed with guys that they shouldn’t be messing with and I’m like, “If his wife comes after you and whoops your ass, don’t be surprised. I love you to death, but you know you’re dead-ass wrong.” Wrong is wrong all day, blood or not.

Gloria told me that when you pitched the idea of the show to her you told her that it could go either in a very positive way where everyone is supportive of each other or in a very negative, drama-laden way. In your view, which path did Basketball Wives take?

I think it came in the middle. I wouldn’t say that anybody was negatively put out there, but I do think they were things that maybe the girls [regret]. Evelyn being drunk at the party, she probably would’ve rather that not been seen on TV. Royce doing the booty pop, she wants to take that back.

These are such highlights, though. Before this interview, you mentioned to me that you wish you could be in the editor’s chair, but maybe that would hurt the show. Maybe you’d end up being too kind to your friends.

That’s exactly the problem. That’s why they won’t let me in the editing room. I’d so be like, “No! No, her boob’s showing. Let’s leave that whole section out!” Or some of the things Eric said to Jen, I would’ve totally never let air. I would’ve been like, “Nope, that’s just mean and I don’t like that. I don’t want her looking like the weakling.” I totally know that it would be some Little House on the Prairie show if Shaunie was in the editing room and unfortunately, nobody likes Little House on the Prairie reality TV.  It sucks, but I’m the same way. I don’t want to watch a reality show that doesn’t have some drama in it. I get the emails all the time like, “You’re not portraying women or women in a positive light and this and this and that.” And I’m like, who the hell is going to watch that? Let’s put it on, and let’s see how long it lasts. Unfortunately, no one likes wonderful, pretty stuff. Unless it’s charitable, which maybe we can do one day, no one cares. No one wants to see the little housewife that just sits at home and has dinner ready and the cookies baked when the kids walk through the door. That’s great. That’s the perfect life.

In the press release announcing Season 2, it says that you’re looking for new wives. What’s your criteria?

I want some married couples on the show just because I think they need to be represented, too. Going into Season 1, Evelyn was picking out a wedding dress and the location for her wedding, honestly, when we were casting.  I was married and everything was OK. Jen’s married. Gloria’s engaged, so we were the majority. Of course, crap happens so that didn’t quite work out. I do want the married couples to be represented in Basketball Wives. I would like the “W” to be crossed out and an “L” there so that the show could be called Basketball Lives, because I get so tired of people being like, “You’re not wives! Blah blah blah.” But at the same time, I do want them to be represented and I do want to show that hey, there are some ladies that are in marriages and are fine with this life. You know, I was fine with it for almost 10 years.

I wouldn’t say that the show suggests anything generalizations about women, per se, but it does show that the basketball lifestyle seems to breed dysfunctional relationships.

And [that’s] not the case. There is a lot of dysfunction, but there are happily married couples in basketball and [they are] totally cool, everything’s fine. I mean, every couple has its ups and downs, even the average trash man and his wife. [The show] does give off, “Oh this is the worst life in the whole world and you don’t want it. Stay away from it.” I’m trying to gather some that say, “Hey, I’m good this is great for me. I’m happy. I love it. I just got in it and we’re awesome or I just got in it and we’re going through some stuff.”

Because there’s so much stress on the show, I always ask all the girls that I interview, “Are you happy?” Are you?

I am, I am. I hope they’re happy too. Yeah, I’m very happy and I’m super excited to just keep going.