Wearing a shoe size of 22, Shaquille O’Neal AKA Shaq could completely emphasize Eric Kilburn, Jr.’s story. The 14-year-old growing teen has been struggling to find size 23 shoes, and once O’Neal heard that, he knew he had to reach out and help.
After Eric’s story hit the headlines, Reebok immediately sent the teen five pairs of O’Neal’s shoes. Then O’Neal reached out to the teen named “Big E.”
Shaquille O’Neal Reached Out To Eric Kilburn, Jr. In Support
After Eric’s story went viral, Puma and Under Armour contacted the family to help. And they weren’t the only ones who wanted to help the teen and his family; Shaq also wanted to offer assistance.
According to USA Today, Eric was excited to hear from O’Neal last week. He knew exactly who was on the other end of the phone when he answered it.
“I was flabbergasted. My soul left my body for a moment; I was so shocked,” Eric said. “Shaq said he made $900 million by listening to his mom and dad, so he told me to listen to my parents.”
Reebok sent Eric, who stands at 6’10, five pairs of shoes in size 22 that they created for Shaq. While Eric is a size 23 currently, these shoes have more toe room than the Nikes he was wearing and outgrowing them. Under Armour scanned and measured Eric’s feet, so more options were coming for the teen. Puma also plans to do the same thing, so in about two months, Eric will have more shoes than ever that fit him comfortably.
The day after Eric received O’Neal‘s phone call, he received the Reebok shoes in the mail. Eric reached out to O’Neal to share his gratitude for the kind response to his shoe dilemma. O’Neal’s text message to the teen left a big impression on him. “When he and I were texting about shoes, [O’Neal] said, ‘There’s much more coming, big man. Love you,'” Eric shared. “This is the ultimate.”
Rebecca Kilburn Is So Grateful For All The Support And Help
Rebecca, Eric’s mom, has taken to Facebook multiple times to share her gratitude and kindness everyone has shared with her and her family.
In a Facebook post shared on Thursday, the grateful mom explained that Reebok and O’Neal have reached out to her family and said they would like to help Eric have more comfortable shoes. While he was waiting for custom-made shoes to arrive, they sent over a few pairs of size 22 shoes made just for O’Neal that they had left in their inventory.
In a Facebook post, she shared her son’s reaction: “Mom, I don’t remember ever getting to choose what I wanted to wear like this before; there are so many options!”
In another recent Facebook post, Rebecca shares that this is all just the beginning of something unique.
“What a wild ride, and we are not done yet! We are so blown away by the support from our community, the (and I dreaming?) nation, maybe even global,” she began her caption.
“The icing on the cake for my boys was Shaquille O’Neal reaching out and showing them so much love. So genuinely kind and not looking for the spotlight – just wanting to reach out and connect with Eric Jr. We are so grateful for these experiences and the doors that this is opening for not only us but plans to help other families in need as well to be announced soon!”
