Shaquille O’Neal To Help Shooting Victims With Proceeds From Buffalo Gig

Shaquille O'Neal is dipping into his pockets again to help those in need!

The four-time NBA Champion revealed his plans to donate proceeds from his upcoming Buffalo gig to the families of the victims who died in May's mass shooting.

The gig in question is his thriving music movement as "DJ Diesel" — a music head who began dropping heavy-hitting bass music soon after he retired from basketball in 2011. 

Since the tragic May 14 mass shooting that claimed the lives of ten people and left three others injured, several celebrities have been doing their bit to help.

The latest in line is O'Neal, who told SiriusXM's Swaggy Sie that he would donate his proceeds from his Bass All-Stars concert in Buffalo on June 24 to the victims' families.

The show is expected to raise significant funds as it includes other performances by DJs Herobust B2B Riot Ten, Jeanie, and Crankdat. O'Neal told Sie:

“My next show is in Buffalo. I’m going to donate my proceeds to some of the family members that had a tragic loss.”

His statement did not shock Sie, who acknowledged that he was no stranger to being philanthropic.

In fact, The Blast reported in 2021 that the 50-year-old used his venture into the NFTs (non-refundable tokens) world to help charities.

The "Inside the NBA" sports analyst did so by raising $2 million by selling several NFTs, including digital images of him. 

The proceeds from the NFTs sales went to the Shaquille O'Neil Foundation — an organization started to help underserved youth in the United States. One NFT showed O'Neal in a black and blue Orlando Magic jersey. 

Basketball fans would recall that the 7feet giant got drafted by Orlando in 1992. The 2005 BET Sportsman of the Year spent four seasons with the team before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.

Another popular NFT image featured him donning a maroon and yellow jersey, which he paired with a police officer hat. 

The jersey appeared from the days he played with the Cleveland Cavaliers between 2009 and 2010. O'Neal also managed to squeeze in an NFT of him rocking sunglasses as he prepared to dig into a pizza.

His team claimed they were all "1-of-1 unique digital collectibles," — which is probably why they sold out within hours of their release.

When the 2012 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans is not helping charities, he is having a fun time on dates. 

According to an earlier report by The Blast, O'Neal turned heads when he stepped into the Jue Lan Club, New York City, on June 12 with a mystery woman on his arm.

His date took charge of their meals as she ordered multiple delicious dishes such as shrimp tempura, Beijing chicken, and the restaurant's signature chicken satay.

The date must have been pleased with their meals and the restaurant's customer service because O'Neal did the unexpected and bought dinner for the entire service staff.

He also went ahead to pay for the lucky patrons who were eating at Jue Lan Club that night. And the bill did not come cheap either, as he doled out over $25,000 for the tables.

Despite the whopping amount he spent, the sports analyst asked the staff to hide his random act of kindness from the restaurant-goers.

O'Neal allegedly left a very generous tip for the wait staff to thank them for their cooperation.

Some fans have claimed that the businessman's kindhearted moves might be a way of compensating himself after his divorce from his wife, Shaunie.

The former couple walked down the aisle on December 26, 2002, and went ahead to welcome four children — Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me'arah — together.

Five years after their wedding, the former NBA player filed for divorce from Shaunie, but they eventually reunited shortly after.

Barely two years later, their marriage hit the rocks again, and this time Shaunie filed for divorce, which got finalized in 2011.

Although Shaunie has moved on and remarried, Shaq has brought up their marriage a few times. He most recently admitted that he messed up their marriage by disrespecting their vows.