Shaq Surprises A Stranger By Paying For His Engagement Ring

It’s no secret that Shaquille O’Neal is a nice guy, but a recent act of generosity caught on camera gives his reputation even more validity.

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

Earlier this week, the four-time NBA champion was spotted in an Atlanta-area Zales, where he decided to pay for the engagement ring a stranger was purchasing. The video went viral as fans and fellow celebrities praised O’Neal for his selflessness in that moment.

On Tuesday’s episode of NBA on TNT, the big man himself dissected a video, explaining that he went into the store to buy some earrings when he heard a man paying off the debt of his engagement ring.

“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,” he explained on the show. “I was like, ‘You know what? Tell your girlfriend I got her. I’ll take care of it.’”

Shaq went on to say that the man was hesitant to take the money at first, but O’Neal assured him that he does this on a daily basis just to make people smile, urging him to let him help.

“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,’” Shaq assured him. “I’m just trying to make people smile, that’s all.”

Folks took to social media to praise the baller for the act, with other celebrities mentioning times he helped them out, unprompted. Van Lathan says Shaq called him following his firing from TMZ, while Loni Love revealed the baller reached out with words of encouragement following some online bullying.

Shaq is all about giving back.

In March, the busy entrepreneur and sports correspondent revealed that he would be taking on a new position as a “Community Relations Director” in Georgia.

TMZ noted that Shaq is looking forward to “bringing the community closer” through his new role.

Back in September of last year, “The Big Aristotle” teamed up with Amex to give out a grant worth $10 million to support small black businesses during the pandemic.

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