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“She Said ‘$500’ I Gave Her $5000”: Shaquille O’Neal Reveals The Moment That ‘Hit Hardest’ When Giving Back

Nithin Joseph
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"She Said '$500' I Gave Her $5000": Shaquille O'Neal Reveals The Moment That 'Hit Hardest' When Giving Back

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the richest athletes on planet Earth. With a $400,000,000 net worth to his name, there is not much the Hall of Famer cannot afford. However, despite being known to flash the cash, he has also gained a reputation for his generosity. Shaq loves helping those in need and often goes out of his way to make people’s day. But, despite having done several charitable activities, one that hit him hard was one that involved a $ 5,000 tip, as he revealed to The Sporting Tribune.

The Big Aristotle’s generosity knows no bounds. But, there are times when it makes him do some borderline weird things. By his own admission, Shaq loves going to electronic stores and department stores in search of mothers and their children. Why? So that he can pay for their purchases, seeing as $1,500 is a lot for them but nothing for him.

Shaquille O’Neal reveals his generous act worth $5,000 hit him the hardest

Recently, Shaquille O’Neal appeared in a podcast with The Sporting Tribune. Here, he was asked an interesting question. Known for his generosity, the host asked Shaq if there was any act of charity or generosity that he had done that hit him the hardest. In other words, an act that made him realize the impact his philanthropic nature has on others, and one such act came to mind.

He recalled how he was once at a restaurant where he saw a waitress having a hard time. Describing the job comes with a lot of stress and is one of the hardest to do in the world, he felt that the lady was dealing with a lot of disrespect and rudeness that night. Noticing this, Big Diesel decided to make her day and ask her how much she wanted for a tip.

Instinctively, the lady asked for a $500 tip, and instead, Shaq decided to give her $5000. This saw the lady breakdown, as she informed Shaq she would now be able to pay her rent and more. This made him realize just how much of an impact he can have on people. Since then his tips have only gotten bigger and bigger.

“I take pride in being the biggest tipper in the world. I allow people to tell me what they want. One time I asked this lady, “How much you want?”. She said, “Oh my God! I can’t do that, I got to be professional!”. I said, “What you want?”, and she said, “$500!”. I gave her $5000 and she started crying.”

Shaq truly is a gem of a human being who has done so much for the people around him. Despite all his fame and fortune he has never forgotten his roots and is always looking for ways to give back to the community.

Shaq once paid off a stranger’s engagement ring debt after crossing paths at a jewelry store

Shaquille O’Neal’s generosity truly knows no bounds. The man is willing to do anything for those around him on a whim. One time, he even paid off a stranger’s engagement ring debt after meeting him randomly at a jewelry store. The big man handed the youngster his card, much to the surprise of those around him.

Just like this, there are plenty of acts that Shaq has done for those around him. He continues to be one of the kindest souls on the planet Earth and is easily one of the most loved celebrities in the world. All thanks to his generous personality and kind soul.

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin Joseph

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Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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