They say it pays to be in the right place at the right time. No one knows that better than an unsuspecting man who ventured into an Atlanta-area Zales jewelry store on Tuesday.
As the man was preparing to purchase the engagement ring, a 7’1 customer took note and paid for the ring. That vertically gifted customer was NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal.
The “Big Aristotle” gave a re-cap of the heartwarming moment during the NBA on TNT postgame show.
“I went in there to get some loop earrings, and I seen the guy, and he was just so shy, and he was saying [to the cashier], ‘Hey, how much do I owe to pay off the ring?’ I said, ‘My man, how much is the ring?’”
O’Neal said that paying off the ring is an example of the acts of kindness he tries to do every day.
“I’m into making people happy, so whenever I leave the house, I just try and do a good deed. I didn’t mean for that to get out. That’s not why I do it. .. The guy just came in; he was a young kid, hardworking guy.”
“I was like, you know what, ‘Tell your girlfriend I got it, I’ll take care of it. At first, he didn’t want to take it,” O’Neal explained, “I’m just trying to make people smile, that’s all.”
O’Neal is true to his word on his commitment to helping others. O’Neal offered to pay the bill for a mother who had an autistic daughter during a recent furniture shopping trip.