Shaq Just Wants to 'Make People Happy' With More Random Acts Of Kindness

It's no secret that Shaquille O'Neal, 50, loves to spread his wealth and help people out. Reports of his random acts of kindness never seem to slow down. The NBA star just recently moved to Dallas, Texas and has already left his mark on the area. Now that he's in his new home, he's been showering his new neighbors with gifts because, "I just want to make people happy," he told Page Six.

Last week, O'Neal handed out some cash and hot meals to people in need and also picked up a couple's Best Buy tab. Of course, he was caught in the act both times and Hot Freestyle posted the videos on Instagram.

While O'Neal was shopping for some new appliances for his new home in a Dallas Best Buy, he struck up a conversation with a young couple looking at washing machines. After chatting with them for a bit, he decided he wanted to brighten their day and paid for not only the washing machine, but also got them a 70-inch television just because.

Just last month it was reported by Page Six that O'Neal paid everyone's bill in a restaurant that he was dining in on a date night with a mystery woman. Sources told Page Six that O'Neal showed up at the Chelsea hotspot Jue Lan Club with who he was heard calling "my date." His date did all the ordering, and after their meal of Beijing chicken, shrimp tempura and the restaurant's signature chicken satay, O'Neal bought dinner for the entire server team. "And to top that off, he paid for everyone's check [who was] dining at the restaurant," the source said. It was reported that he paid more than $25,000 in the restaurant that evening and tipped the staff very generously. He wanted to keep his generosity a secret from the other diners and asked the staff not to tell them that he was taking care of the more than 40 tables of bills until after he left the restaurant.

Last month, the retired NBA star announced that he planned to donate proceeds from a DJ gig to the families of the 10 victims who died in the mass shooting at Tops Friendly Supermarket in May. O'Neal, who moonlights as DJ Diesel, told Sirius XM's Swaggy Sie that he will be DJ'ing at his Bass All-Stars concert in Buffalo, and use it as an opportunity to help others. "My next show is in Buffalo. I'm going to donate my proceeds to some of the family members that had a tragic loss," he said. "If I see where there's a need, I take care of it."

Spreading kindness whenever possible is not new to the 7-foot celebrity. Back in 2021 while shopping in a Zales jewelry store, he noticed a man purchasing an engagement ring. In true O'Neal fashion, he pulled out his credit card and took care of the bill with no questions asked. "I'm into making people happy, so whenever I leave the house I try and do a good deed. I didn't mean for that to get out. That's not why I do it...The guy just came in, he was a young kid, hardworking guy," O'Neal said. O'Neal noted that the man was paying for the engagement ring through a layaway plan. "I was like, you know what, 'Tell your girlfriend I got it, I'll take care of it.' At first he didn't want to take it," he said. "I'm just trying to make people smile, that's all."

Earlier this year in March, O'Neal's generosity made a family of nine smile big. What started out as just taking the family of 11 out for a meal ended up with a trip to a local Mercedes dealership for some new wheels. The Collins family were in need of a new vehicle that could fit their large family in so O'Neal bought them a 15-passenger van. The generosity didn't stop there. After another dinner out with O'Neal and finding out that the Collin's father's truck didn't have any air conditioning or heat, he took them to a Ford dealership to buy him a new truck.