Shaquille O’Neal is not just popular for his talents as an athlete but also becuase of things he has been doing since retirement. One of the things that people adore about him is the fact that he has a big heart.
Keep reading to know more about what he did for this woman when they had an unexpected encounter.
Shaquille O’Neal is known for his wonderful talents as an athlete. He has made records and won many accolades throughout his tremendous career. But one thing the athlete has made news for recently has been his charitable nature.
Recently, the former basketball legend walked into a Best Buy in Lafayette, Louisiana. He apparently went in to ask about the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone.
One Kquoella Lewis was also at the store to buy an iPad. She noticed the tall man standing next to her and realized it was none other than the legend Shaquille O’Neal.Lewis told O’Neal about her thoughts on the phone. Shaq then proceeded to tell the store employee, “Get two, one for me and one for her.” A Galaxy Z flip phone sell for about $1200 each.
According to KLYF Lewis revealed that the phone was not even for Shaquille O’Neal because he is a fan of Apple products.
This is not the first time O’Neal was seen doing something charitable for random people. Earlier this year, he heard the story of a young boy unable to find shoes his size and decided to help him out.Young Eric Kilburn Jr. is a student at Goodrich High School. The 14-year-old has a predicament that not many people face; his feet are too big for ordinary shoes. At 14 years old, he is already 6 feet 10 inches tall and fits into a men’s size 23 shoe!
But as the boy grows, the shoes only started to become tighter and tighter and his family sets on a mission to find him new shoes once again!
The teenager’s parents have exhausted all their options to find the right size shoe and hence decided to take their efforts public in hopes of getting some help or leads on shoes for their growing son!
They had his current size 22 shoes professionally resized. The young teen routinely gets blisters and had to get his toenails medically removed in order to make sure he does not get repeat ingrown toenails because of his shoes.
The teenager requires shoes sized 23 or 24 but the family is unable to locate even a single pair of such shoes for him.
After his latest shoe measurement, the family was able to locate a pair of shoes for him which cost $1,500. To get two pairs, one for everyday wear and another a little fancier in sizes 23 or 24, the family would be looking at having to spend about $3,000 or more!
The family launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to opt for custom shoes for their boy. The campaign and story went viral. Professional footwear designers from Under Armour, Puma, CAT, and more reached out offering to design custom shoes for the teenager.
But other than that, there was one more phone call the young man got which the family could not believe. He received a call from NBA hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal!
The former professional athlete revealed that when he was Kilburn Jr.’s age, he was in the same boat. Shaq’s team at Reebok sent five different designs, which was a luxury for a kid who could never be picky about shoes. The shoes came with a note that read, “Eric — Hoping these shoes we created for Shaq could be fit and offer you some relief. We have a few more things headed your way, but wanted to get these to you ASAP. Know that we’re here to help and behind you every step of the way!”
If you liked this, you might want to see what Shaquille O’Neal looks like now post his gruelling surgery.