Shaquille O’Neal is doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make the world a better place. The legendary NBA star has been a noted good samaritan for years. He’s made incredible strides as a humanitarian and philanthropist extending beyond his Foundation. Specifically, Shaq has dramatically influenced the community’s younger generation. Most recently, he personally impacted an 11-year-old girl and gave her an important lesson following a lost bet.
The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation was instituted in 2019 to provide resources and opportunities for underserved youth. Their official website lists that most of the primary focus is on Atlanta and Las Vegas communities, but other cities have been serviced. There have been multiple annual programs that have been set up to benefit children and schools in need. In addition, the Foundation’s website highlighted two events that catered to the needs of youth nationwide.
For example, the Shaquille O’Neal foundation hosts a holiday-themed event called “Shaq-a-Claus,” where the former Lakers star appears to give children gifts, toys, and other needs. Cities in New York, Georgia, and Florida were among those listed that benefitted from the event. O’Neal also has established the annual program “Shaq-to-School,” which helps to prepare children for the oncoming school year. Additionally, the sports analyst and his Foundation fill countless amounts of backpacks that children from elementary to high school may be well prepared for.
In December 2021, Shaquille O’Neal announced a partnership with NFT company Notables for more giving back. The announcement also revealed that every proceed received would go towards his Foundation to “[raise] money for underprivileged youth across the country.” According to Bleacher Report, 10,000 NFT one-of-a-kind tokens were “minted” for the process. Within a short period, they surpassed their goal and raised $2 million. MSN reports that half of that amount was raised within 24 hours of Shaquille O’Neal and Notables’ announcement.
Not only is Shaquille O’Neal known for helping the community financially and with other resources, but he’s also stepped in to impact the youth in their health. Shaq knows what it means to maintain a healthy lifestyle as an athlete. In 2007, he debuted his ABC reality show to do just that by aiming to tackle childhood obesity. Shaq’s Big Challenge was the former pro-basketball player’s attempt to save the lives of six significantly overweight children between the ages of 11 and 14. During its six episodes, expert chefs, nutritionists, and professional trainers came along to guide them towards a healthier lifestyle and their weight loss goals. Ultimately, they were able to achieve significant amounts of weight loss.
Shaquille O’Neal’s love for humanitarian work and for the youth includes his 2021 partnership with Kellog’s. According to their joint press release, they developed “Mission Tiger” to “impact more than 60,000 middle schoolers across the six cities where Shaq played professional basketball.” With the donations that they would acquire, Shaquille O’Neal and their team would visit various schools within districts of those six cities to provide necessities for students, educators, and schools. In addition, the sports analyst partnered with Kellog’s with a massive goal to provide 1 million middle school students the opportunity of “better access to sports” by the end of the year.
The former NBA player has also made it clear to the public that his children know they are not entitled to his wealth. The former Lakers star is adamant about their education and insists they work for themselves as he is not providing handouts. During an Earn Your Leisure Podcast appearance, Shaquille broke down what he told his children. “We ain’t rich; I’m rich,” he joked, but not really. Instead, Shaq explained that he envisions his children to have degrees and a solid plan or layout for him to invest in their dreams or companies.
Shaq to his kids: “We ain’t rich, I’m rich.”
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 27, 2021
Teaching them work ethic. 💪
pic.twitter.com/RbCNgkL5BV
Most Recently, Shaq Taught an 11-Year-Old A Lesson About Income Taxes.
Shaquille O’Neal was one of the latest to grace the Jazzy’s World TV Youtube show while attending NYC’s Governor’s Ball Festival. They reflected on the first time Shaq met the 11-year-old host, and he reminded her of a bet they had, which he lost. Shaq can be seen in the video handing young Jazzy a sum of money as she remains stunned. “Don’t take nothing else from strangers,” he says to her, keeping good on his word. He continued to instill strong values in her, telling her to make sure to respect and adhere to her parents’ teachings.
“I’m a man of my word. I lost, so I owe you that money,” he said to a happy and shocked Jazzy. In addition, he shares that he tells all his children that he’s “rich because I listened to my parents.” But before he left, Shaq recalls a “mistake” he made and wanted to impact a lesson on the young star. Shaq asks the young host to show him the money he gave her as he is about to teach a lesson. He is seen taking $20 from the sum of money he gifted Jazzy and calls it “income tax” because she is “now an adult.” “You don’t know nothing about that yet,” he says. However, Shaq teaches her that when she gets older and starts to make money, she will see income tax being taken from her. But he then gives her the money back as he teaches her about filing income tax forms.
