Shaquille O’Neal‘s battle with poverty during childhood helped him grow into an empathetic and philanthropic person. Since 1996, the Hall of Famer has been hosting Shaq-A-Claus, a charity drive that provides underprivileged youth with gifts during Christmas. On the latest episode of the Dear Fathers podcast, O’Neal gave insight into what prompted him to start the annual event.
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Shaq revealed that during his time in Orlando, his mother, Lucille, would speak at a boys and girls club. On one occasion, the kids assumed O’Neal would show up because his mother was the guest speaker. The misunderstanding caused a frenzy, and 500 children attended the event. Explaining what ensued, O’Neal said,
“A lot of those children expressed to my mother that they were not getting any toys on Christmas and when I was affiliated with Toys”R”Us, it was an alarming stat that said 15 to 20 million children will wake on Christmas Day and not receive one single gift.”
After hearing the plight, Lucille called O’Neal and asked for money – something she never did – to buy gifts for those children. He told her he would take care of the situation. On his way home, O’Neal saw a U-Haul, a vehicle rental store, and rented three vans for $27 each. He and two people from his entourage drove to a Toys”R”Us store and bought every item. O’Neal then called her mother and said,
“Tell them I’ll be over there at 2 o’clock. Tell them I’ll have two chairs and two of them Santa Claus hats. I’ll be sitting down, you’ll be standing up and we’ll give 500 kids five toys each. And good toys. Not promotional toys.”
According to the Lakers legend, this incident sparked the idea behind making Shaq-A-Claus an annual event. O’Neal credited his mother, Lucille, and stepfather, Philip Harrison, for raising him with great values and inculcating generosity in him.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Shaq-A-Claus continues to spread cheer
Shaquille O’Neal has hosted Shaq-A-Claus for close to three decades without skipping once. He leveraged his sponsorship deal with Toys”R”Us to continue giving gifts to underprivileged kids and spreading joy during Christmas. O’Neal revealed that a gift he received had a profound impact on his life. He said,
“I personally know that play can positively impact the life of a child. When I was young, it was a basketball I received on Christmas morning that empowered me to dream that I could someday become a basketball star.”
O’Neal’s philanthropic effort isn’t limited to the Shaq-A-Claus event during Christmas. The four-time NBA champion set up the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation in 2019 to help create a pathway for underprivileged youth to fulfill their potential.
His prowess on the basketball court and his business ventures have helped him amass a net worth of $400 million. However, he isn’t blowing it all living out his fantasies. He’s putting it to good use and helping those in need. While he was vicious and vindictive on the basketball court, he sure is generous and magnanimous, off it.
