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Gainesville Police Department
In 2016, Shaq hit the court for a cause.
Surprising not only the boys but Officer White himself, O’Neal visited Gainesville to share his appreciation for the viral moment. He played a game with a few of the uniformed officers and kids, before giving each boy a chance to win $100 if they made one of two shots (a few did!).
02of 16Sundholm Magnus/Action Press/Shutterstock.In March 2017, Shaq came to the aid of an Atlanta family after their then-5-year-old daughter, Syrai Sanders, suffered severe injuries in a dog attack months prior.O’Neal met the girl and her family at a furniture store in Atlanta following her two-month hospital stay, treating them to the new items they selected,theDaily Mailreported.
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Sundholm Magnus/Action Press/Shutterstock.
In March 2017, Shaq came to the aid of an Atlanta family after their then-5-year-old daughter, Syrai Sanders, suffered severe injuries in a dog attack months prior.
O’Neal met the girl and her family at a furniture store in Atlanta following her two-month hospital stay, treating them to the new items they selected,theDaily Mailreported.
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Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images; GoFundMe
The former NBA player and a member of the Houston Police Department brought a cashier’s check to Barnes' family in early January 2019,CNNreported,days before the child’s funeral.
04of 16Papa John’s International, IncIn the spring of 2019, the retired athlete, who is also a Board of Directors member and franchisee owner ofPapa John’spizza chain, surprised Los Angeles locals with a big pizza delivery.In the video, the famed athlete and his film crew were seen riding in a bus from location to location beforesurprising L.A. residents with the pies.“This is a really, really tough job, delivering pizzas,” O’Neal said.At one of the sites, theInside the NBAanalyst was seen taking photos with a group of children, towering over them while holding up his finger to signify No.1 with the kids surrounding.
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Papa John’s International, Inc
In the spring of 2019, the retired athlete, who is also a Board of Directors member and franchisee owner ofPapa John’spizza chain, surprised Los Angeles locals with a big pizza delivery.
In the video, the famed athlete and his film crew were seen riding in a bus from location to location beforesurprising L.A. residents with the pies.
“This is a really, really tough job, delivering pizzas,” O’Neal said.
At one of the sites, theInside the NBAanalyst was seen taking photos with a group of children, towering over them while holding up his finger to signify No.1 with the kids surrounding.
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Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty.
In April 2019, O’Neal bought shoes for a Georgia teen after hearing that his mother couldn’t afford her son’s extra-large footwear.
Zach Keith, then 13, wore a size 18 shoe, making it hard to find affordable footwear that fit. When his mom asked for help on social media, O’Neal (who wears a size 22 shoe) decided to lend a hand because he could relate to Keith’s story.
O’Neal surprised the boy at Friedman’s Shoes in Atlanta — one of O’Neal’s longtime favorite stores for large shoes. Friedman’s owner, Bruce Teilhaber, had helped out O’Neal in the past, including getting him shoes for his prom.
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Shaquille O’Neal.Jared C. Tilton/Getty
Payton, paralyzed from the chest down as a result of the shooting, was not permitted for release from the hospital since the family’s home was not equipped to handle his needs.
That’s when O’Neal came into the picture, finding the family a new house and pledging to pay rent for the first year to help Woods “get back on her feet.”
“No mother should have to go [through] that,” O’NealtoldThe A-Scene.
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Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.AFP/Getty
As Shaq continued to grieve the deaths of his sisterAyesha Harrison-Jexand his palKobe Bryantin early 2020, the retired NBA star thanked a fan for his touching words with an act of kindness.
That January, O’Neal interacted with a fan named Patrick Martin at a Best Buy store in McDonough, Georgia.
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Shaquille O’Neal.Kevin Winter/Getty
Dexter Rentz, a football star from Ocoee High School who had signed with the University of Louisville, was shot andkilled in his hometown of Orlando in April 2020.
O’Neal heard about the tragedy the next day, and was so moved that he reached out to Rentz’s parents and offered to pay for all of the funeral expenses, including a horse and carriage and a custom-made casket, he toldESPN.
“Whatever his mom wants,“he said.
“He was on his way, he really was,” O’Neal told the outlet of the up-and-coming football star. “I don’t know what it feels like to lose a son, but I know what it feels like to lose someone.”
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Shaquille O’Neal, Candace Parker, Tony the Tiger and a student.Mission Tiger
In May 2020, Shaq teamed up with Kellogg’sMission Tiger, a campaign to help save and improve middle school sports nationwide, to surprise some Philadelphia students with everything they need to succeed in extracurricular athletics.
10of 16Shaquille O’Neal.alachua county sheriffO’Neal was drivingnear Gainesville, Florida, in July 2020 when he saw an accident and pulled over to make sure everyone was okay. The NBA legend then stayed with the driver until authorities arrived on the scene.“Yesterday, Shaquille O’Neal was traveling through Alachua County on I-75 when he witnessed a crash,” Alachua County Sheriff’s office said in aFacebook statement, sharing dashcam footage that showed O’Neal standing on the side of the highway.“He stopped to check on the welfare of the driver and remained with her until law enforcement arrived,” the statement said, adding that the athlete “fist bumped” the deputies who arrived before taking his leave.
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Shaquille O’Neal.alachua county sheriff
O’Neal was drivingnear Gainesville, Florida, in July 2020 when he saw an accident and pulled over to make sure everyone was okay. The NBA legend then stayed with the driver until authorities arrived on the scene.
“Yesterday, Shaquille O’Neal was traveling through Alachua County on I-75 when he witnessed a crash,” Alachua County Sheriff’s office said in aFacebook statement, sharing dashcam footage that showed O’Neal standing on the side of the highway.
“He stopped to check on the welfare of the driver and remained with her until law enforcement arrived,” the statement said, adding that the athlete “fist bumped” the deputies who arrived before taking his leave.
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Nick Agro/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
TheNBAlegend made a man’s day (life?!)in April 2021when he whipped out his card for an engagement ring the customer was purchasing at a Zales store.
“I seen a guy come in — he was just so shy and he was saying, ‘Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring?’ " O’Neal said duringNBA on TNTof the unforgettable moment.
“And I was like, ‘How much is the ring?’ " the athlete recalled of what he said before stepping in and generously paying off the jewelry.
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Shaquille O’Neal.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
During a January 2022 interviewwith entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, the NBA champion said he used his connections to secure Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 consoles and delivered them to kids at an elementary school in Georgia.
“My father was a drill sergeant, my mother just was a hard-working woman,” O’Neal told Vaynerchuk on his podcast,The GaryVee Audio Experience.“They taught me the value of giving back. They taught me the value of helping those in need.”
“I called, you know, my friend from Nintendo Switch,” he continued. “Ordered about 1,000 Switches and 1,000 PS5s. I went to Walmart and got bikes. So you know yesterday, at this little elementary school in McDonough, Georgia, kids were crying, kids were happy. And that’s what it’s all about.”
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Kevork Djansezian/Getty; GoFundMe
In April 2022, multiple outlets reported that the retired NBA legend was covering the funeral costs for a 3-year-old Louisiana boy who was fatally shot April 12.
Devin Page Jr. of Baton Rouge was sleeping in bed when a stray bullet struck and killed him,WAFBandWBRZreport.
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Rich Johnson/CBS
In a confessional, the sports commentator expressed his excitement for the renovation, saying, “The fact that I can do this for my uncle and make my uncle and my mom happy, it’s a big thing.”
“I figured, all the relatives I’ve taken care of are spoiled, let me do something nice for uncle Roy,” he added.
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Rob Kim/Getty
According to a release, Shaq’s foundation and Icy Hot work together to find basketball courts that could “use some TLC” and give them fresh blacktops, baskets and other elements to help promote and improve community sports activities.
16of 16Shayan AsgharniaIn previous chats with PEOPLE, O’Neal has opened up about his love for random acts of kindness.“I try to make every day a meaningful moment for a fan, and especially a kid,“he said.“A lot of people describe it as giving back. I describe it as doing what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to help those in need,“he added in another interview. “If I’m somewhere and see somebody’s needing something, I’ll take care of it.“Check out PEOPLE’s interview for more with the NBA legend.
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Shayan Asgharnia
In previous chats with PEOPLE, O’Neal has opened up about his love for random acts of kindness.
“I try to make every day a meaningful moment for a fan, and especially a kid,“he said.
“A lot of people describe it as giving back. I describe it as doing what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to help those in need,“he added in another interview. “If I’m somewhere and see somebody’s needing something, I’ll take care of it.“Check out PEOPLE’s interview for more with the NBA legend.
source: people.com
