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Shaquille O'Neal quietly paid for a random guy's engagement ring while standing in line

"I'm just trying to make people smile... That's all."

NBA on TNT/Twitter

An unsuspecting guy at a shopping mall Zales got the surprise of his life back in 2021 while trying to pay off part of his engagement ring.

As the young man talked with the clerk at the jewelry store counter about how much he still owed for his ring and when he'd be able to pay it off, an extraordinarily large hand handed the clerk a credit card. Shaquille O'Neal, the 7' 1'' basketball legend known colloquially as "Shaq," overheard their conversation and decided to take care of the bill himself. No big announcement. No fanfare. He just handed over his credit card, shook the stunned customer's hand and patted him on the back, and that was that.

Someone caught the moment on video and shared it, which prompted Shaq's co-hosts on NBA on TNT to ask him about it the next day.

One of the first questions was, "You went to the mall, and went to Zales?!?" Not exactly where one would expect a person with a $400 million net worth to be hanging out on a Monday, but Shaq pointed out that he has a jewelry line at Zales. He went in to get some hoop earrings. Alrighty.

The young man at the checkout counter was so shy, Shaq said, and when he heard him talking about paying for his engagement ring, Shaq asked him how much it was and offered to pay for it.

At first, the guy refused, but Shaq insisted. And apparently, he does these random acts of generosity all the time.

He said he was recently in a furniture store (seriously, do multi-millionaires not shop online?) and saw a mom with an autistic daughter buying furniture. He just took care of their bill, just because.

"I'm into making people happy," he said. "I didn't mean for that to get out because I don't do it for that...I'm just trying to make people smile, that's all."

Shaq's generosity is well-documented, despite his preference to keep much of it under wraps. In a 2015 interview with Graham Bessinger, he explained how his father's charity—despite their family not having a lot of money—influenced him.

After giving the family's bag of hamburgers to a homeless veteran, his father got into the family car and told him, "If you ever make it big time, make sure you help those in need."

Shaq remembered those words and engages in charity in a range of ways, "because of what a man who made $30,000 a year taught me," he said. "And a woman who was a secretary who probably made $20,000 a year—they taught me that."

His giving comes "from the heart," he said. He's not looking for attention or accolades—he just wants to make people happy.

"I'm doing this because this is what I was taught," he said. "I'm doing it because to walk in there and see a family, put a smile on their face for a day, that's just awesome to me."

Shaq on helping others when no one is lookingwww.youtube.com

"That's my thing. I just want to make you smile," he said.

Shaq once asked a restaurant server how much of a tip she wanted, and when she quipped "$4,000," he gave it to her. When a 12-year-old was paralyzed by a stray bullet in a shooting, Shaq donated a whole house to his family. A fan who saw Shaq in a Best Buy offered condolences to the star for the untimely death of Shaq's friend and former teammate Kobe Bryant, as well as Shaq's sister Ayesha, who had recently passed away from cancer. He was treated to a new laptop—the best one in the store.

Many of us like to daydream about what we'd do if we had more money than we know what to do with. And many of us like to picture ourselves being generous with our wealth, helping out random folks who could use some help.

Charitable giving looks like a lot of different things, from funding organizations to distributing money through a foundation to handing over a bag of burgers to someone who's hungry. It's just delightful to see wealthy people who not only support official charitable organizations with money and time (Shaq serves as a national spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and is a member of the national Board of Directors for Communities in Schools in addition to raising and donating millions of dollars to various causes) but who also just help out random people everywhere they go.

Kudos to Shaq's parents for teaching him so well, and kudos to him for taking their lessons to heart.


This article originally appeared on 4.7.21

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This NBA star didn't want his transgender sister at his games. Then he lost her.

NBA star Reggie Bullock struggles with a big regret.

Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images.

When he was younger, Bullock didn't want his sister, Mia Henderson, to go to his basketball games. Henderson was transgender — and Bullock was ashamed.

"I always thought about what my teammates would think or what people would think," Bullock, who now plays for the Detroit Pistons, explained in a heart-wrenching video shared by his team's Twitter account. "That was probably one of the stupidest things, but I just didn’t know so much about [being transgender], and I wasn’t as comfortable with it.”

Henderson was murdered in 2014. She never got to see him play in college.

Mia Henderson. Image via The Detroit Pistons/Twitter.

A lot has changed over the past four years. Bullock's made steps to learn about LGBTQ issues — particularly, the challenges faced by people like his sister.

Transgender women of color are especially at risk of violence and discrimination in employment and housing.

"It was something I didn't know too much about [when Henderson was murdered] — about the deaths and the things that happen to this community," Bullock said.  

In honor of Henderson, Bullock got a tattoo on his leg reading, "LGBTQ," along with Henderson's name.

GIF via The Detroit Pistons/Twitter.

He also wore "equality" sneakers during a game against the Atlanta Hawks in February to acknowledge the impact she made on his life.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.

But Bullock wants to go much further than symbolic gestures.

Bullock has partnered with LGBTQ rights groups to amplify Henderson's story and shine a light on an often overlooked community.

The Pistons small forward hosted a Pride Night in Detroit to meet fans and talk about LGBTQ issues. He also synced up with LGBTQ rights group GLAAD and Athlete Ally, an organization aimed at combating homophobia and transphobia in sports, to use his platform to spread love and acceptance.

He may not know all the facts quite yet. ("Is it just LGBT?" Bullock asked advocates, wondering if the "Q" at the end was appropriate or not. "You can do either — LGBT or LGBTQ, both are fine," someone answered.) But he's committed to learning and making a difference along the way.

"Anything that y'all can put my face on or use me for — parades or stuff like that — I'm willing to do it," Bullock noted in the video below.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.

"The fact that Reggie Bullock wants to use this as an opportunity to talk about his support for LGBT people, and especially for transgender women, is really incredible," said Nick Adams, GLAAD's director of transgender media and representation.

While Bullock believes he'd still be a champion for LGBTQ rights and visibility even if Henderson hadn't been transgender, her story is still at the heart of his drive to make change.

"The impact she had on my life and the happiness that she had with just being herself always stuck with me," he explained. "Even when she left.”

Watch the video below by the Detroit Pistons to learn more about Bullock and Henderson's story:

To learn more about issues facing the transgender community, visit GLAAD. To help combat homophobia and transphobia in sports, visit Athlete Ally.

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Spurs coach Popovich mounts a simple, strong defense of Black History Month.

You can always count on Pop to say what he's thinking.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has a bit of a reputation for speaking his mind.

Back in May 2017, Popovich denounced the self-centered "game show" atmosphere brought on by Donald Trump's presidency.

In September, he went on a bit of a press conference rant about Trump's "childishness" and "gratuitous fear-mongering," eventually launching into a pretty epic speech about why it's important for him to use his platform to speak out on important issues like racism, even if they don't affect him personally. (He's white.)

The Spurs' Dejounte Murray talks to head coach Gregg Popovich during a 2017 game. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that when Popovich was asked about the NBA's Black History Month celebrations, his answer would be worth a listen — even if it's a bit hard for white people to hear.

Asked by reporters why he felt it was important for the NBA to honor and promote Black History Month, he basically said that it's a no-brainer:

"I think it's pretty obvious. The league is made up of a lot of black guys. To honor [Black History Month] and understand it is pretty simplistic. How would you ignore that? But more importantly, we live in a racist country that hasn't figured it out yet. And it's always important to bring attention to it, even if it angers some people. The point is that you have to keep it in front of everybody's nose so that they understand it, that it still hasn't been taken care of, and we have a lot of work to do."

It's easy to pretend that racism is a thing of the past, but that's simply not true.

It's pretty easy to get defensive when Popovich and many others say things like, "We live in a racist country that hasn't figured it out yet." After all, nobody wants to be called racist, and nobody wants to think that they play a role in perpetuating discrimination.

Considering what some on social media are saying in response to Popovich's latest comments, that defensive instinct comes through loud and clear.

"If this country is Racist [sic] then why are we celebrating Black History Month?" asked one Twitter user. "Pop is an idiot...why doesn't he resign and give his job to a black coach if he feels he's part of the problem?" tweeted another. "What are we celebrating? Why do we single out a month for blacks? Can we have white history month?" asked a third.

"We live in a racist country that hasn't figured it out yet."

It's indisputable that racism against black individuals and other people of color is real. There is ample data confirming the inequality and negative treatment aimed at black Americans.

For example, an October 2017 survey found that on average, prosecutors offered white defendants more lenient plea deals than their black counterparts. Experiments in so-called blind auditions and job applications, as well as a look at how doctors treat people of color compared to white people, demonstrate the existence of unconscious bias.

Popovich and the Spurs attend the White House to celebrate their 2014 NBA championship. Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

We are a racist country with a racist history. No, that doesn't necessarily make you a racist. It just means we have a lot of work left to do.

Just as Popovich said, if we really want to live in a more just world, we've got to keep this issue at the forefront of our minds.

Black History Month is a great opportunity to think about the many ways black Americans have shaped our country for the better in the face of crushing oppression. It's in acknowledging both the good and the bad that we can help build a a country that lives up to the lofty ideals lauded by many self-proclaimed "patriots."

Patriotism isn't about ignoring a country's faults, but about living each day to address them.

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LeBron James just sent a powerful message to the president without mentioning his name.

LeBron James has never been shy about speaking up for what's right. This time, he's letting his shoes do the talking.

The basketball great wore a pair of his signature Nikes with the word "equality" emblazoned on the backs. James wore one white shoe and one black.

Photo by AP Photo/Nick Wass.

The choice was not coincidental, as James and the Cavaliers suited up to play the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena, just one mile east of the White House.

Following the game, James made a statement to the press. Without mentioning the president by name, he delivered a pointed message about the importance of coming together against an oppressive leader.

"Well, ... obviously, we all know where we are and we know who's at the helm here. Us as Americans, no matter the skin color, no matter the race, no matter who you are, I think we all have to understand that having equal rights and being able to stand for something and speak for something and keep the conversation going.

Obviously, I've been very outspoken and well-spoken about the situation that's going on at the helm here, and we're not going to let one person dictate us, us as Americans, how beautiful and how powerful we are as people. So equality is all about understanding our rights, understanding what we stand for, and how powerful we are as men, as women, black or white or Hispanic.

No matter your race, whatever the case may be, this is a beautiful country and we're never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are."



This is the second time James laced up his "equality" kicks for a game.

James wore the black pair of Nike Equality 15s on the opening night of NBA play in October. It's believed the gesture was in response to the controversy surrounding NFL players protesting the mistreatment of African Americans. While NBA players are barred from taking a knee during the national anthem, James' footwear served as a silent but powerful message.

His outspoken nature comes as no surprise to longtime fans, who recognize James as a longtime advocate of social justice issues.

"Because we know this is the greatest country in the world. This is the land of the free. But, we still have problems just like everybody else," James said to the press during Cavaliers Media Day in September:

"I will in my voice, I will in my passion, I will in my money, I will in my resources to my youth and my inner city and outside my inner city to let these kids know that there is hope, there is greater walks of life, and not one individual, no matter if it's the president of the United States ... can stop your dreams from becoming a reality."

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images.

James puts his money where his mouth is, too.

His LeBron James Family Foundation funds educational and extracurricular activities in his hometown of Akron and around the country to encourage kids at risk of falling behind to stay academically engaged. The program is open to students from grades 3 to 12; those who stick with his "I Promise" program even have a chance to earn a four-year scholarship to the University of Akron. Next year, James will open up an "I Promise" school in Akron.

Photo by Aaron Davidson/Getty Images for Sprite.

While we can't all personally afford to send hundreds of kids to college or to build our own schools, each of us can send a message loud and clear that hate, bigotry, and inequality have no home here.

Not on the court, not in our communities, and certainly not in the White House.

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