Shaquille O’Neal Gifted PS5s, Nintendo Switches to ‘Happy’ Kids at Georgia School for Christmas Shaquille O’Neal said he scored hundreds of the hard-to-find PlayStation consoles for underprivileged children in Georgia
By Jason Duaine Hahn January 04, 2022 03:04 PM Advertisement FB Tweet More Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print Shaquille O’Neal speaks during Pepsi Stronger Together and CTG Foundation ATL Press Conference on April 07, 2021 in McDonough, Georgia Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty
Shaquille O'Neal helped make the holiday season special for hundreds of underprivileged children by gifting them two of the most popular video game systems on the market.
During an interview with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, O'Neal, the four-time NBA champion, said he used his connections to secure Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 consoles and delivered them to kids at an elementary school in Georgia.
Get push notifications with news, features and more.+ Follow Following You’ll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications.”My father was a drill sergeant, my mother just was a hard-working woman,” O'Neal told Vaynerchuk on his podcast, The GaryVee Audio Experience .”They taught me the value of giving back.They taught me the value of helping those in need.”
“I called, you know, my friend from Nintendo Switch,” he continued.”Ordered about 1,000 Switches and 1,000 PS5s.I went to Walmart and got bikes.
So you know yesterday, at this little elementary school in McDonough, Georgia, kids were crying, kids were happy.And that's what it's all about.”
The school in question was Wesley Lakes Elementary School and the gift-giving was part of O'Neal's Shaq-a-Claus event, which was attended by 500 children.
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“When I was with Toys 'R Us, there was an alarming stat: 15 to 20 million kids wake up on Christmas Day and not receive one gift.I felt that one time.I don't ever want a kid to feel like that,” O'Neal told Vaynerchuk during the podcast.
“So, as long as I'm on this Earth, I'm always trying to do what I can to make sure kids get good toys,” he added.
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The Switch and PS5 were popular gifts this Christmas, with the latter being one of the most difficult items to find on store shelves since its release in November 2020.
Video games weren't the only things children received from O'Neal this year.Pictures from O'Neal's Shaq-a-Claus event showed dozens of bears, basketballs, bikes, and other toys for the kids.
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While O'Neal stresses the importance of giving, he once told Page Six that he doesn't like to receive presents.
“I do not accept gifts,” O'Neal told the outlet in 2019.
“You show me a movie where Santa receives gifts and I'll take one.”
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