Shaquille O’Neal has successfully blocked his ex-wife’s bid for an emergency order to allow their children on a new reality show, after an LA judge ruled in his favour on Thursday. The 41-year-old Hall of Fame basketball player has joint custody of his four children. He acted after it emerged that his 39-year-old ex-wife Shaunie had signed a deal to star in a new VH1 reality show, which would also feature her children.

Shaunie wanted a judge to rule in her favour on Thursday without a hearing, but Shaquille strongly opposed it. Shaquille’s lawyer Laura Wasser, who represented Kim Kardashian in her divorce proceedings, convinced the judge there was no rush and a hearing would be fair, according to an article on Thursday in TMZ. Shaunie in court documents said she had a deal for a new VH1 reality show The Shaunie Project about life with her and her children.

She was seeking an emergency order to meet production deadlines since filming was scheduled to start the first week of January. Shaunie married the former star centre for the Los Angeles Lakers in December 2002 and had four children before and during their marriage, Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah. Shaunie has reality show experience as an executive producer on Basketball Wives and also has been an on-camera fixture on the show since its premiere in April 2010.

Sources told TMZ that Shaunie has tried to convince Shaquille that this show would be wholesome family fun, but he doesn’t believe it and thinks the cameras would hurt his children and their schooling.