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“Christmas Changed My Life!”: Shaquille O’Neal Once Opened Up on the Christmas That Changed His Life

Tonoy Sengupta
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"Christmas Changed My Life!": Shaquille O'Neal Once Opened Up on the Christmas That Changed His Life

Shaquille O’Neal absolutely loves Christmas. Whether it be to family, co-workers, or even total strangers, the man has been known to love playing Santa Claus. And of course, while at 7’1”, he probably didn’t deliver the most convincing performance, he is very good at making people happy.

But why is that?

Well, it is a common saying that people that are kind are doing so because they were denied kindness when they needed it most. And that saying most definitely stands true with Shaquille O’Neal when it comes to multiple aspects of his life.

Still, Christmas wasn’t one of them.

O’Neal may not have gotten everything that he wanted since he comes from a very humble background. But, one Christmas he received a gift so heartwarming, it changed the trajectory of his entire life.

Also Read: “Was Trying to Separate His Shoulder or Break a Rib!”: 6ft 6″ Charles Barkley Admitted He Was Looking to Injure John Stockton in the 1997 WCF

 

Shaquille O’Neal was gifted a chance to see his basketball idol as his Christmas present

Growing up Shaquille O’Neal, much like fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson, idolized Julius Erving. But of course, given his family’s financial circumstances at the time, he never really got the chance to see his idol in the flesh.

At least that was the case until one very special Christmas. Take a gander at the YouTube clip below to find out what happened.

There aren’t many stories out there more heartwarming than this one. And perhaps it’s even more fitting that it comes from Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaquille O’Neal may love Christmas, but perhaps not the trees brought in anymore

Shaquille O’Neal has essentially become a figure that loves all types of joy-bringing activities on this planet. However, when it comes to the tree itself, there is reason to believe that Shaq doesn’t quite like it anymore.

Why do we say that? Well, just take a look at the YouTube clip below.

That looked bad! And it’s happened multiple times on air before.

You get launched into a tree like that with that much force so many times over, and it’s hard to imagine you can maintain a liking to it.

Still though, it is a Christmas tree, so it’s hard to imagine the man hating it either.

Also Read: After Shooting His Shot With Nicki Minaj, Shaquille O’Neal, 50, Tries With 23 Year Old GlorRilla on IG Live

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

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Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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