For Shaquille O’Neal, every day is a new chance to make someone smile.
That’s exactly what the former NBA superstar did when he surprised a man in McDonough by paying for the engagement ring he was planning to buy!
Chaz Cherry, Shaq’s friend and Zales employee, captured the unexpected moment on video.
“He told me his budget and picked out two rings that were within that budget. The only problem was that the sale to keep it at that price range ended that day and the next day the price was gonna jump back up to a little over his budget,” Chaz recalled.
The customer went outside to make a phone call, and that’s when Shaq walked around the corner from a restaurant and entered the store.
When the man came back, he asked the staff if he could put a down-payment on the ring and hold it for him at that sale price.
Shaq heard his request and asked him how much the ring cost. Then, he handed the cashier his card and said, “don’t worry about it I’ll take care of it.”
In a recent edition of NBA on TNT, Shaq, 49, explained the story behind the gesture, which has now gone viral.
“I’m into making people happy so when ever I leave the house, I try to do a good deed every day. It was a young guy trying to pay for his engagement ring on layaway. I said, ‘you know what….tell your girlfriend I got and I’ll take care of it,” Shaq explained.
“At first he didn’t want to take it. I said don’t worry about it. I do it all the time. I’m just trying to make people smile. That’s all.”
Shaq and the unnamed man took a photo together inside the store, and the picture began circulating online. He told a store employee that he plans to pop the question in May.
Here’s a video of that incredible moment.
The basketball legend is no stranger to pulling off random acts of kindness. Throughout the years, Shaq has been using his wealth to make people happy.
In December, the larger-than-life personality took on the role of director of community relations at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. Days before the announcement, he gave over 800 children gifts, just in time for the holidays.
In 2019, Shaq helped a 13-year-old boy with 18-inch feet buy shoes.
Zach Keith plays basketball and football for J.W. Stewart Middle School. He may only be a teenager, but the boy is already 6 feet and 2 inches tall! And the most challenging part is, he wears size 18 shoes which are very difficult to find.
His mother, Brittany, can’t afford to buy him large sneakers, so she decided to ask for help on Instagram. She tagged multiple news stations and shoe brands on her post, hoping that someone will help her.
Little did she know, Shaq himself will respond to her plea!
Shaq arranged for the mother and son to visit Friedman’s Shoes, his favorite big-and-tall shoe store in Atlanta.
“Mom couldn’t afford shoes. The kid had big feet. I just kind of reminisced about how that used to be me, my mom and my dad,” he said.
When Zach and Brittany came to the store, Shaq helped the boy shop for shoes, and he ended up taking home 10 pairs of big shoes of all kinds!
From one cager to another, Shaq made sure that Zach can go places wearing footwear that fit him perfectly.
Even though Shaq retired from basketball in 2011, he remains an idol of many—basketball fans or not—because of his good heart.