Shaquille O’Neal bought ten pairs of shoes for a teen who wears size 18 shoes after his mother pleaded for assistance on Instagram. Single mom, Brittany Keith, wrote in a post for her 6’2” 13-year-old, “If you can do anything to help, I will be so appreciative.”
She continued to explain that shoes for him were both challenging and expensive, so she was turning to the internet for help.
Not only did Shaq come to the rescue with just one pair, but according to WGCL, O’Neal bought Zach Keith ten pairs and a suit for his upcoming eighth-grade dance. The total cost for the shoes alone came out to about $6,843.
The size 22 basketball player explained that he was compelled to help the Keith family because “I reminisced back how that used to be me, my mom and my dad,” O’Neal told WGCL.
Brittany’s son, Zach, said he was shocked at the player’s generosity.
“Like, whoa,” Zach expressed. “He wants to buy me shoes, out of all people?”
He continued, “I wasn’t expecting that. To meet Shaquille O’Neal, an All-Star player, one of my All-Star favorites…[I’m]surprised, shocked.”
Brittany apprised the news outlet herself, “This will help a lot. I won’t have to worry so much about dress shoes. For me, it was just. It was very touching, very heartfelt, and to know that there’s somebody out there that has his back.”
O’Neal purchased the shoes from Friedman’s Shoes in Atlanta because it’s where the owner – Bruce Teilhaber – gave a young Shaq a pair of size 18 loafers for his prom back in high school. “I remember the price. It was a $180 pair of shoes, and my father asked Bruce about a layaway program,” Shaq recounted, “Bruce said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of it.’”
He wanted to return the favor to the Keith family. Now, Zach will have all the sauce.
