Shaquille O’Neal usually go to the supermarkets to look for moms in difficult situations to help them.
“I usually go to the supermarkets to look for moms in difficult situations to help them.” One day I was at one and I saw a woman with her son in the section to take things out in payments.
I approached to listen, and wanted to buy several laptops for studies at his children’s school. He was short of $1,100 to pay it. She took one of her kids and told him, ‘Don’t worry honey, I’ll work harder and get that money in these weeks.’ Listening to her, I knew she was a good person, a woman with a great heart.
I just try to lift people’s spirits a little, make them feel good for a moment, and I want them to consider that there are still good people in this world’.
I hope this example is helpful for other people to help those in need.”
“My mama told me to do it” – Shaquille O’Neal goes to stores to look for moms to help out
Despite growing up impoverished, Shaq learned good values from his mother.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal’s generosity has already been well-documented. But a recent story might tug your heartstrings, as he shared that he goes to stores to look for mothers to help out. In one instance, he spotted one who couldn’t afford to buy school laptops for her children.
“What I’ve been doing lately is I’ll go in stores, and I’ll look for moms,” O’Neal said. “So, the other day, I’m in Best Buy, and I see this mama and her son. She in the layaway section. So, I’m here hustling, and she trying to get some laptops so her babies can go to school. She owe like $1,100. Nice, beautiful sister girl. And I heard her say, ‘Okay, I’m gonna bring $300 this week.’ And she grabbed one of her babies and said, ‘I’m gonna get the laptop in two weeks, baby.’ And she walked out, and I said, ‘I got you.’ She’s like, ‘You don’t have to do that.’ I was like, ‘Yes, I do ’cause my mama told me to do it.’ My motto lately has been, ‘It could be worse, and that could be you.’ $1,500 ain’t nothing to me. But mom trying to help her babies go to school. I’m standing right there, ‘Do it.’,” Shaq told on Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast.
History of helping out random people
Helping out strangers isn’t new to the four-time NBA champion. Time and time again, he has gone out of his way to perform good deeds. For instance, there was a time when O’Neal was at a mall and heard a young man asking about the jewelry store’s layaway plan for an engagement ring. Showing his generosity, the retired big man took care of the bill.
Shaq also once shared the most expensive stuff he bought for a stranger during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” While he was at a furniture store, the Hall of Famer chanced upon an old lady whose house had just burned down. When he heard the tragic story, he decided to help her out by buying her furniture.
Shaq’s motivation
Last year, it was estimated that the former NBA MVP had a net worth of $400 million, thanks to his on-court earnings and business savviness.
Inspiringly, he has made an effort to give back and provide financial assistance to people in need. He also has a rich history of launching and supporting charity initiatives, including the annual Shaq-A-Clause event that began nearly 26 years ago.
Coming from an impoverished background, the “Big Diesel” clearly knows how it is to have little. He was born to 17-year-old Lucille O’Neal and grew up in a poor area in Newark. At a young age, he was exposed to the danger of drugs and crime. And because they couldn’t afford to make rent, his family had to move constantly and often fed on noodles and beans. Still, his mother was an admirable moral compass for Shaq and instilled in him good values, which are evident to this day.
Fortunately, O’Neal was able to turn to basketball, which turned his life around and has enabled him to help others who share a similar fate he once had during his childhood years.
