A young waitress once asked Shaquille O'Neal if he could leave her a $4,000 tip — so he did
Besides wowing fans with his basketball finesse, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is revered off-court for his generosity. There are several accounts of his kind gestures and amazing empathy for people of all backgrounds. And he is not shy to humbly acknowledge it. Once during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive), Shaq divulged how he tipped a whopping $4,000 to a server at a restaurant for no specific reason, but because she asked, as seen in a snippet from the episode on YouTube.
Owning up to his “big tipper” reputation at restaurants, the Hall of Famer, 53, shared one of his recent experiences that burned a hole in his pocket. “When I’m in restaurants, I’m a big tipper. I like to show people my appreciation,” the former athlete said. But, there is a catch. The Lakers icon shared that he throws a deal at the waiters to earn an opportunity for a greater tip. “When they come up to the table, I say, ‘The quicker I get my order, the bigger your tip will be,’” he said. Naturally, waiters rush to him with the food, hoping for a big check.
Before leaving the restaurant, he puts the tipping amount at the waiter’s disposal, asking them, “How much do you want?” Interestingly, a young waitress topped the list with her shocking request for a $4,000 tip, and Shaq could not deny it. “I said, ‘Okay, no problem.’ It was a young lady,” Shaq recalled. Host Jimmy Kimmel was astonished at his benevolence and called the amount a “strange figure” to ask for. But Shaq surely earned himself some goodwill as the server revealed that he had paid for two months of her house rent. Later, the athlete-turned-sports analyst shared that he generally pays a $300 tip to valet parkers. Interestingly, O’Neal, who appeared on the talk show to mark his statue unveiling at the Staples Center in 2017, also admitted that he typically never carries cash.
Recently, the basketball legend surprised a young boy, AJ Martinez, who had survived a brutal gun violence tragedy, on his 12th birthday with a special tribute video on Facebook. Martinez was one of the survivors of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 19 students and two teachers were killed in the tragedy. Shaq made sure the boy felt loved and shared a heartwarming message. “Hey, AJ, what’s happening, partner? This is Shaq. I just want to say happy birthday. 12, 13, 14, 15, whatever it is, I hope it’s a happy birthday, brother. Wish you all in Texas a drop down to Uvalde to see it. We actually played Uvalde in high school way, way, way before you were born,” the philanthropist said in the video.
In addition, Shaq’s charity organization, The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, focuses on creating pathways for underserved youth in the US and helping them reach their full potential since 1997. It is primarily based in Atlanta and Las Vegas, per their official website. The charity hosted Shaq-a-Claus events in December 2022 and which brought smiles to more than 400 students. “Every child deserves to experience the holiday magic, and hosting these events keeps that joy alive," he said, per Yahoo! Life. The following year, the athlete provided gifts, clothes, pizza, and festive surprises to 750 underprivileged schoolchildren as part of their 22-year tradition to spread joy and happiness.