Shaq Shares the Sweet Reason Why He Gifted a Michigan Teen Size 23 Kicks – ‘Give This Man Some Shoes!’ [Exclusive]
For most mere mortals, a chance to see or meet actor and NBA great Shaquille O’Neal is a dream come true. But to receive a closet of shoes from Shaq was heaven for one Michigan teen.
O’Neal’s daughter read how 14-year-old Eric Kilburn Jr. had outgrown his size 22 shoes and his family struggled to find the means for larger sizes. Larger sizes must be custom-made, which cost more than $1,000 a pair. Kilburn’s insurance wouldn’t cover the cost, so the family resorted to a GoFundMe campaign.
Then, O’Neal stepped in …
Shaq’s daughter shared the shoe story with him
O’Neal shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet how he connected with the Kilburn family. “My daughter actually sent me that [article]. And it’s a nice story, but what got me was his mom, she’s very sad,” he said. “That was my mom’s story. I gotta step in. And if it was an 18 or 19 [size shoe], I probably would have to refer him, but the fact he said 22, I have some great shoes I’ll never wear. So I told my daughter to send me his information, which was sort of like a test for her too. She did a great job. She found them.”
“We contacted them, I talked to his mom,” O’Neal said. “And then I talked to him. I heard there were a couple of other companies sending him shoes, that’s good also. But I just wanted to just take care of it right away. When I see his mom crying, I see my mom. I had to wear the same pair of shoes three years in a row. I used to see my mom work extra jobs, just trying to get a little bit of money just to buy me shoes. There’s nothing like going to the store and seeing your mom taking a part-time mopping job just to make some money. It’s not a good thing.”
Shaq doesn’t want clicks for shoes – It’s ‘something you’re supposed to do’
O’Neal is known for his quiet charitable actions. He said he does it for one big reason. “I just try to lead by example and go from there. But the first thought should be from the heart, not because everybody is doing it, but because it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
“You don’t gotta post. You don’t got to tell anyone about it. If you wanna do it, it’s cool with me,” he said. “Like with my daughter for example, I pointed out, I’m doing this for your mom because you’re just like my mom.”
“I learned about the shoes and she said, ‘Man we appreciate it.’ But it is not important to me to get views,” O’Neal insisted. “Like my father used to tell me all the time, ‘Why do you want to be congratulated for something you’re supposed to do?’ I got 1,000 pairs of 22s and this kid needs some 22s, it’s my duty to give this man some shoes. But I don’t want credit for that.”
Shaq said he’s no longer a celebrity
In spite of his global fame, O’Neal just wants to be thought of as a nice guy. “I denounced myself from being a celebrity a few years ago,” he said. “People always ask, ‘How do you want people to remember you?’ I just want you to say Shaq was a nice guy. That’s it. You know, there’s a lot of different definitions of what a celebrity is, and I don’t want to be involved with any of those definitions because I see a lot of celebrities who are jerks, a-holes, they’re rude, they’re not compassionate. And I don’t want to be in that category.”
O’Neal’s nice-guy and playful side shines in The General’s “The Break” commercial spots, which shows how The General puts itself into its customers’ “shoes” and gives drivers a break when they need one the most. “The General gave me my first break when I was in college. So I take pride in getting with brands that have similar values,” O’Neal said.
