Shaquille O’Neal has given away thousands of gifts to children at an elementary school, including a huge quantity of PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles. The generous gesture was intended to bring some Christmas cheer to underprivileged children during the holiday season.
O’Neal, an accomplished former professional basketball player, and arguably one of the most recognizable players in history, is currently a sports analyst on Inside the NBA. It is estimated he earned close to $300M in this career, but he has also invested his money wisely, including an investment in Google in 1999. Over the years, he has used his profile and resources to support good causes, particularly to help children.
O’Neal surprised students at “a little elementary school” in McDonough, Georgia, with approximately 1000 PS5 and Nintendo Switch consoles, as well as bikes from Walmart. The children reacted with excitement and tears of happiness, according to O’Neal.
This isn’t the first time that O’Neal has used his resources to give back to the community at Christmas. The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation has been on a mission to “create pathways for underserved youth,” assisted by a long list of corporate sponsors who support their aims. The foundation runs many programs, including the Shaq-A-Claus project, which has gifted tens of thousands of toys, clothes, and meals to underprivileged children since 1997. For example, last year O’Neal visited the Henry County Schools Learning & Support Center, assisting with a drive-thru event which gave gifts to more than 800 children.
O’Neal has also been involved in other interesting projects in recent times. He recently worked with Notables to release a series of NFTs, entitled The Shaq Gives Back collection. Created to support The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, it is comprised of 10,000 NFT portraits. The designs are based on artwork by artist Kent Floris, though each NFT is algorithmically assembled. Many of the NFTs contain Christmas themes, including string lights and presents. The project raised $2M USD, and all proceeds were given to the foundation, including subsequent royalties. It is refreshing to see an NFT project that is created for a charitable cause, and not in the name of profit.
O’Neal’s donation to the school is heart-warming, as is the good work done by The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation. While speaking about donating the PS5 and Nintendo Switch game consoles, O’Neal credited his parents for his compassionate approach, stating that they taught him the value of giving back to others and helping people in need. Indeed, O’Neal continues to demonstrate that he takes these values seriously.
Source: Fadeaway World, The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, Notables