Shaquille O’Neal, in his autobiography released in 2011, Shaq Uncut, shared details of his struggles and achievements. The autobiography also talks about his commitment to making a positive impact in the community, especially in the lives of young people. Shaq narrated an incident, in his book, where he and his brother Jamal O’Neal shared a court in 1998 at the Boys and Girls Club. Looking at the sorry state of the courts at the Club, Shaq donated $1 million to fix the courts.
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Looking at the situation of the courts and thinking that the basketball athletes play on such courts, Shaq was compelled to make some changes in the Club. He immediately called up people from the Club and told them to repair the courts immediately. This marked Shaq’s philanthropy journey, and he used his money to improve lives in the communities. The philanthropy was not just limited to basketball but extended to education, activism, etc.
Shaquille O’Neal donated $1,000,000 to improve the basketball court in a local club
NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal is known to have donated money to a lot of causes throughout his career. However, nobody knows where his philanthropic journey kicked started from. He mentioned in his autobiography, Shaq Uncut,
“One day I was shooting baskets with my brother, Jamal, and the Boys and Girls Club. The pavement was cracked and sloped and we couldn’t even have half a decent game of one-on-one. I was so disgusted I called up Lester and said, “I want to donate $1 million to the Boys and Girls Club.”
He and his brother couldn’t even play a decent one-on-one game at the Boys and Girls Club, where many local basketball players turn up to play basketball daily. Hence, to repair the courts at the local club, he immediately took the brilliant step of donating $1 million.
He told Lester, “We’ve got to fix these courts. It’s ridiculous to ask kids to play ball in conditions like this.” Lester even tries to tell Shaq he does not need to donate so much, but Shaq replies,” I didn’t care. I had made up my mind.”
This marked the philanthropic journey of Big Diesel, and he is continuing to do so. He mentioned how the power of money should be used to make a difference in society.
“What I liked most about having all that money was being able to do things I wanted to do.”
The donation of $1 Million inspired both Bill Gates and Steve Case
When Shaq donated $1 Million to the Boys and Girls Club, the news broke out, eventually reaching billionaires Bill Gates and Steve Case. Bill Gates, the Founder of Microsoft, donated enough for 30 new clubs. Steve Case, the founder of AOL, donated 30,000 computers and internet accounts. This was covered in 2000 by writer Rick Reilly in Sports Illustrated, and he mentioned,
“Thanks for being big-time generous. You gave $1 million to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which inspired Bill Gates to pony up enough for 30 new clubs, which sparked AOL chairman Steve Case to provide 30,000 computers and 30,000 Internet accounts for Boys and Girls Clubs around the country. And they say one person can’t make a difference.”
Indeed, this will not be the last inspiration Shaq might have been involved in. From his stories of cutting ties with Reebok, as one parent complained that the shoes were expensive to giving away free meals, Shaq has done it all. And that is why everyone loves him.
