Shaq sees young man buying a pricey engagement ring — his next gesture proves why he's a legend

Among sports legends known for their generosity off the field as much as their game on the field, NBA star Shaquille O'Neal stands out for going out of his way for fans. Apart from supplying necessary supplies to schools, he even let go of a deal with a major brand to make his merchandise more affordable. Recently, the NBA superstar was at Atlanta-area Zales, the Jewelry store with which he collaborated on a collection called Shaquille O'Neal Jewelry. During his visit, he saw a man who was trying to purchase an engagement ring and paid for it with his own credit card.

While speaking to NBA on TNT, he later said, "I saw a guy come in — he was just so shy and he was saying, 'Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring?'" Shaq then stepped forward, gave his card to the cashier, and shook the hand of the customer who was visibly at a loss of words after the gesture by the legend. In addition to the appreciation from the customer, the cashier told Shaq, "I always get off 30 minutes before you come in here." This wasn't the first time that the legendary basketball player paid for somebody else's dream. Shaq, who works as a TNT sports analyst, once interacted with his fan named Patrick Martin at a Best Buy store in McDonough, Georgia.

"So me and Mo just went to Best Buy to buy a laptop and we met Shaq. We gave our condolences to his sister and Kobe. We walked off, then Shaq comes to us and says, 'I like you’ll, so get the nicest one in here and I’ll pay for it,'" Martin wrote in a Facebook post that went viral and was sent to PEOPLE by Best Buy.

The retired player's generosity is revered and documented quite a lot, even though he tries to keep it discreet. Speaking to Thought Economics, Shaquille O'Neal said how he likes to be very "hands-on" with his philanthropy. "I like to go in and be like, 'Oh you need that? I’ll take care of it’ and I take care of it myself. I don’t usually write cheques and walk away. I like to go and say, 'Okay, the school needs a new gym. The teachers and kids don’t have laptops for their online schooling? The gym doesn’t have a weights room?’ I’ll take care of it – I’ll use my contacts book and get it done," he said. He then talked about how helping people comes naturally to him and how he simply likes to spread smiles. "I did this… I did that, it’s not important. What’s important is that you helped the people that needed to be helped," he added.

Shaquille O'Neal has accrued a mammoth amount of money not just through his skills on the court but also his business acumen. The basketball player is worth somewhere around $500 million, and apart from his endorsements and basketball career, he has ventured into the music industry and has released multiple rap albums.