Shaq Buys Engagement Ring For Stranger In Jewelry Store

Shaquille O’Neal paid for an engagement ring a young man was buying in a Georgia Zales jewelry store in a wonderful act of kindness.

The current NBA analyst originally visited the store to purchase earrings when he overheard the stranger discussing payment options for the piece of jewelry. 

New York Daily News reports O’Neal stepped in, offering to pay for the ring in full. 

The heart-warming exchange was caught on video by Chaz Cherry, a friend of Shaq’s who works at Zales, reports 11 Alive. The video was then posted on Instagram.

“He told me his budget and picked out two rings that were within that budget,” Cherry remembered. “The only problem was that the sale to keep it at that price range ended that day and the next day the price was gonna jump back up to a little over his budget.”

The four-time NBA champion also discussed the meeting on Tuesday (April 6) on NBA on TNT: “He was saying, ‘Hey, how much do I owe to pay off my ring?’ And I was like, ‘My man, how much is the ring?’”

After the transaction, the two posed for a picture, which has since gone viral.

“I’m into making people happy, so whenever I leave the house, I try to do a good deed every day. It was a young guy trying to pay for his engagement ring on layaway. I said, ‘you know what….tell your girlfriend I got, and I’ll take care of it,” said O’Neal. “At first, he didn’t want to take it. I said, don’t worry about it. I do it all the time. I’m just trying to make people smile. That’s all.”

This isn’t the first time the New Jersey native has given back. 

According to 11 Alive, O’Neal, also called “Shaq-A-Claus,” gifted over 800 children with presents in 2020 at the Henry County Schools Learning and Support Center.