Vanessa Lopez, the woman who claims that NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has been harassing her, seems to have a history of bad relationships with NBA players. According to police reports, Lopez has had a least two serious legal run-ins regarding Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West.

West had security remove Lopez from his hotel room after she refused to leave back in 2006. In 2007, Martin's manager called police, claiming that Lopez had somehow gotten a hold of Martin's credit card and spent several hundred dollars (at least) without his permission. Both men admit having relations with Lopez in the past. So far, Shaq has made no comments on the matter.

The situation got heated when Lopez hired famed attorney Gloria Allred to serve as legal counsel in her harassment suit against O'Neal. The interesting thing about this case is that neither side has much credibility: Shaq was accused of harassment in 2008 by hip-hop artist Alexis Miller. And given Lopez's history of appearing to shake down other NBA players, I don't know who to believe.

The moral of the story:

1) Sleeping with random women is a very bad idea: I am not sure why so many people do it, but it can quickly ruin your life. Sex is natural, but casual sex with strangers is Russian roulette. You never know when might catch a venereal disease, be falsely accused of rape or end up like the incredibly unfortunate Steve McNair, who was shot while sleeping on his mistress' couch.

2) If you are wealthy, you are a target: Rich people with a lot to lose should not regularly make themselves vulnerable to people who have nothing to lose. You hear that, Tiger Woods? Many of the women who sleep with NBA players are trying to get a hand on the golden goose. Some are willing to scheme for the dough as much as players are scheming to get the you know what. Don't underestimate the creativity of a woman who is determined to bag a millionaire. It might scare you.

3) You think Magic's the only one? If you could bet money, how many NBA players do you think might be on the wrong side of an HIV test? You think that this stuff stopped happening back in 1992?

I hope that Shaq and his boys learn some lessons from this. A woman scorned can destroy your life if you're not careful. You might think you're in control, but that may not always be the case.



Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.