As any married man can tell you, buying an engagement ring is very stressful. Between the ring’s cost and the courage required to get down on one knee, it’s a lot! Thankfully, legendary basketball star Shaquille O’Neal made it a lot easier for one man – he paid for his engagement ring out of the blue. That’s right!
A Chance Encounter With Shaq
It all started a recent afternoon at an Atlanta, Georgia jewelry store. There, a young man was discussing with the store owner the terms of his ring payment plan. Just then, NBA great Shaquille O’Neal walked in! In case you don’t know, while O’Neal retired in 2011, he remains one of the most famous basketball stars ever. After all, he played for a whopping 19 seasons, earning 15 All-Star titles, four NBA final trophies, and three NBA Finals MVPs in that time.
Once inside, Shaq could not help but overhear the young man talking to the store manager. “So I was in Zales, looking for some loop earrings and I seen the guy and he was just so shy and he was saying, ‘Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring?'” the legend explained on a segment on NBA on TNT the next day. “He was a young kid, hardworking guy and was saying, ‘Hey I can come back in the next month, and the next month’ like layaway.'”
Hearing such a hardworking young man struggle to pay for his fiancée’s ring just didn’t seem right to O’Neal. So, he decided to do something about it…
A Jewelry Store Gift
It’s no secret that Shaq’s still doing quite well these days. So, he decided to help out someone in need, as he so often does. This time, it was the young man. After overhearing his conversation, O’Neal approached the man and the store manager. “So I said, ‘My man, how much is the ring?’ I’m not going to say the amount, but it’s not much for me,” he explained. “So I said, ‘Tell your girlfriend I got it. I’ll take care of it.’ At first, he didn’t want to take it and said ‘I can’t do that’ so I said ‘Don’t worry about it, I do it all the time.’ I’m just trying to make people smile, that’s all.”
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, O’Neal had wholly changed someone’s world. Of course, another worker in the store recorded the entire action on video. In the video, everyone can watch Shaq pay for the ring and then shake the man’s hand. The basketball then pats him on the back and walks away, leaving his life as quickly as he entered it.
Soon enough, the video went viral online. However, Shaq was quick to explain that’s not why he did it.
A Viral Encounter – But Not The First Time
After the video went viral on Twitter, O’Neal felt the need to comment on NBA on TNT, where he works as an analyst. “I didn’t mean for that to get out because I don’t do it for that,” the basketball star explained. “This is something that I do every day. The other day, me and my mom went furniture shopping and this lady, she had an autistic daughter and she was also looking to pay for some furniture. I just took care of it. I’m into making people happy. Whenever I leave the house, I just try to do a good deed.”
What a fantastic rule to live by, especially for someone better off than many around the world. Keep up the great work, Shaq!