Shaquille O’Neal has a heart as big as his personality and is one of the most loved celebrities in the USA. Christmas just seems to be another excuse for the Hall of Famer to spread happiness in any way those in need may adore. Recently, the big man shared a video of a couple spending their Christmas day in “Shaq’s Fantasy Lab” on his Instagram stories. Here is the tweet:
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Shaq’s Fantasy Lab pic.twitter.com/fBdYBisX9f
— NBA stories (@SS75352476) December 27, 2023
Shaq’s Fantasy Lab, situated in Las Vegas, is an experience lab within ‘Fantasy Lab’ in the Fashion Show Mall. The place provides an immersive experience with beautiful Christmas decor using mirrors, lights, and technology. In the video shared by the NBA player, the couple seems to be taking in the beautiful aesthetics of the place covered with photos of dogs in Christmas clothing.
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Shaq’s Fantasy Lab is one of many things the player has up his sleeve for Christmas. He also made an appearance in South Fulton as Shaq-a-Claus and gifted toys to 1700 families in the Fulton County area. When asked about his gesture, he said, “It’s always said that every big person takes care of where you from. Just take care of where you from. On Christmas, on Thanksgiving! Just do your part, where you from. If we all did it collectively, the world will be a better place.” The player is known to go out of his way to help those in need, as evidenced by his immense gesture to the families of Fulton County.
The act of giving is not something O’Neal waits around till Christmas for. However, he does tend to take things up a notch when there are festivities involved. With a net worth of $400 million, he has the resources to pull off just about anything he might think up. And with a heart of gold that looks to give back in any way possible, O’Neal has continued to be a gift to the world that just keeps on giving.
Shaquille O’Neal and the ‘Shaq-a-Claus’ tradition
If the ‘Shaq-a-Claus’ tradition by Shaquille O’Neal was not enough to melt hearts, the origin story behind it will definitely do the trick. The four-time NBA champion started the initiative in 1992 after his mother visited ‘The Boys and Girls Club’ and saw kids with no presents for Christmas. She immediately reached out to her son to borrow money to help the children, which led to the big man taking it up as an annual initiative.
The Hall of Fame player, in an interview with ‘TMZ Sports‘, said, “I saw a little tension in her[Shaq’s mother] voice and said, ‘Mommy, what’s wrong?’ She said I need some money to buy some kids some toys. I said, ‘How many kids?’ She said a thousand. I said, ‘Mamma, we can’t buy some, I’ll take care of it all.” Since that day, Shaq has followed the tradition of giving toys to kids on Christmas, and his generosity gets bigger with every passing year.
Due to his early life, Shaquille O’Neal has seen what money problems can look like, and what kind of an impact it can have on individuals. Today, he has all the wealth in the world, something he could have decided to keep for himself and do nothing more. However, ‘Shaq-A-Claus’ continues to be as generous as ever. And given the person he is, the big man is unlikely to stop anytime soon.
