On Tuesday night, Shaq gave the backstory behind the touching moment on NBA on TNT. He shared that he was at the store to purchase some hoop earrings when he heard the man inquiring about engagement ring pricing.
"I seen the guy come in, he was just so shy," Shaq said. "He was saying, 'Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring.'"
"And I was like, 'My man, how much is the ring?' I'm not going to say the amount, but it's not a lot for me,” the 7-foot-1 Newark, New Jersey native said.
The former Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball star said he considered it as a gift to the man's future bride.
"I was like, 'You know what? Tell your girlfriend I got her,'" Shaq said. "I'll take care of it."
The Diesel added, "At first, he didn't want to take it. He was like, 'Man, I can't do that.' I said, 'Don't worry about it. I do it all the time.' I'm just trying to make people smile, that's all."
Although this particular act of kindness went viral, Shaq said he often performs similar deeds for people when the opportunity arises. He also recalled paying for the furniture of a mother with an autistic child when he was out shopping with his mom recently.
"Whenever I leave the house, I try to do a good deed," he added.
When it comes to his own kids, the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree.
Shareef, Shaq’s 21-year-old son with Shaunie Nelson O'Neal, is on the men’s basketball team at his dad's alma mater. Shaq’s daughter Amirah also attends LSU and carries the family legacy as a 6-foot-2 center on the women’s basketball team. Meanwhile, siblings Me’arah and Taahirah are going viral on social media for dunking on people.
As Blavity previously reported, Shaq revealed last year on his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaq, that he recently voted for the first time.
"You know I always like being honest on my podcast. I've never voted before, America. But, now I'm doing all these voting campaigns, and you know one thing I never like to do is be a hypocrite,” he said before admitting his truth.
"In other words, America, I voted for the first time, and it feels good," he said. "Thank you. This message was paid for and approved by Dr. Shaquille O'Neal."
The 1999-2000 NBA MVP acknowledged that his hesitancy stemmed from ignorance regarding certain political processes like the electoral college system.
