Shaquille O'Neal could spend his days checking stock tickers or reviewing his empire of investments — a net worth estimated around $500 million — but that's not what gets him up in the morning.
"Once or twice a week, I try to do good deeds," he said in a 2020 TNT YouTube clip that went viral. No PR campaign. No cameras in his face. Just Shaq, a shoe store, and a kid who reminded him of his younger self — right down to the oversized feet and the single mom trying to make it work.
In this particular "good deed," the 7-foot-1 NBA great heard about a Georgia eighth grader with size 19 feet and no shoes that fit. The teen, Zach Keith, had been squeezing into whatever his mom could find — and afford. But for someone built like a power forward before he's even reached high school, options are limited, and price tags are brutal. So his mother, Brittany, reached out for help.
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Shaq saw the message on Instagram and didn't hesitate. He took Zach to Friedman's Shoes in Atlanta — the same store that once gave young Shaquille a break back in the late '80s, before he was famous and still living on an army base in San Antonio. "I had one pair of shoes the whole year," he said. "Till I met Bruce."
Bruce Teilhaber, the owner of Friedman's, is something of a legend in Shaq's life. A friend of Shaq's father had called Bruce looking for help, and Bruce delivered — a free pair of supersized shoes for a supersized teen who had none. Shaq never forgot.
Since then, O'Neal's returned the favor — over and over again. He's reportedly bought more than 2,000 pairs from Friedman's, a one-man stimulus package for the store. "One of the best things that ever happened to me and my family was meeting Shaquille O'Neal," Bruce said in the clip. "Because if you're in business and you know him, you're gonna be okay."
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Zach wasn't just treated to one pair of sneakers. Shaq bought him ten — including dress shoes for his eighth-grade dance, which his mom said he hadn't had in four or five years. Shaq even slipped him some extra cash and told him to pick out a suit. "You're gonna take that money, get a suit, and walk in there like this," he said, demonstrating his signature Shaq strut.
But the shopping spree wasn't just about shoes. It was about memory. It was about dignity. "I used to wear size 13s, squeezing into them even when I was a 15. I had to come home, wash them, make 'em look brand new so the kids wouldn't talk crazy," Shaq said. "So I know the struggle. And I don't forget the struggle."
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It's a theme that runs through Shaq's off-court life. While some celebrities pivot to yachts and private islands, O'Neal's just as comfortable wiring money to strangers, tipping restaurant servers thousands, or, in this case, walking a kid with size 19 feet through a store that changed his own life decades ago.
Zach's mom was overwhelmed. Shaq's kindness, she said, was life-changing. Her son — who couldn't stop grinning — walked out with shoes, confidence, and a new contact in his phone.
That's just how Shaq operates. He's a humble half-billionaire with a soft spot for big feet, good suits, and good deeds — preferably in that order.
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