Dr. O’Neil best known as Shaq was an unstoppable force on the basketball court and was one of the most dominant centers to play the game of basketball. His 7 ft. 1 in. stature coupled with his 325 lb body made him unstoppable in the paint. Well, Shaq isn’t just known for his dominant basketball playing ability or his larger-than-life body size but to those closest to him they know him for having a big heart.
Shaquille O’Neil in a recent podcast revealed that he gave away over 1,000 Nintendo switches and 1,000 Playstation 5s, and countless bikes and other toys to children all across the state of Georgia during the Christmas season.
Shaq gifted 1,000 PS5’s and Nintendo Switches to kids at an elementary school for the holidays.
(via The GaryVee Audio Experience) pic.twitter.com/eazU92kbYs
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 4, 2022
When asked why he gave so much Shaq was quoted saying:
“My father was a drill sergeant, my mother just was a hard-working woman,” he said on air. “They had little, but they taught me the value of giving back. They taught me the value of helping those in need.”
“I ordered about 1000 Switches and 1000 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”.
Shaq is a living testimony of the Bible verse “train up a child in the way they should go and in the end, they will not depart from it”. Shaq’s parents raised not only one of the world’s greatest basketball players but one of the most generous athletes on the earth too.
The superstar athlete may have been taught the game of basketball from his coaches but when it comes to the game of life his parents have coached him how to be a cheerful giver.
This wasn’t the only time Shaq has surprised someone with a big gift. A viral video last year showed him helping a young man buy an engagement ring for his soon-to-be wife. Watch the moment it happened here:
Shaq randomly paid for a young man’s engagement ring
pic.twitter.com/L78mEeoqBS
— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) April 6, 2021
Shaq hasn’t just given away money either but has also given away something even more valuable; his time. After a video went viral of a police officer playing basketball with children in Florida, Shaq was touched by the video and wanted to play basketball with the children too.
Shaq and several officers surprised the children and started to play basketball with them. When Shaq pulled up in a police car, the children went crazy and were in awe. After playing a few games with the children Shaq encouraged the children to follow their dreams.
Maybe you can’t give away 2,000 Nintendo Switches and PS5s to people in your community but you can give them your time. A lot of times as humans, we look at the world’s chaos and think it’s unfixable, but the key is to focus on the needs of others right in front of you. Jesus always meets the needs of people in front of him. He was faithful to the one woman at the well and was faithful to the 5,000 he fed with fish and bread.
May God use you to be a cheerful giver whether it’s to feed the 5,000 or whether to give words of life to the person that is right in front of you.
This story syndicated with permission from My Faith News