The search continues for Shaq’s missing Range Rover… but that didn’t stop the big fella from helping out someone else with their transportation issues… again, Shaq does nothing small!
The NBA legend recently surprised 18-year-old high school wrestler Tamara Humphries with a brand-new car after learning she was struggling to get to practice. The gesture, O’Neal says, wasn’t about publicity or charity — just about “doing the right thing.”
In an interview with PEOPLE, Shaq explained how he discovered Humphries through social media and was struck by her talent, work ethic, and humility. “When I first started out, I was doing much better than the athletes that were getting more credit,” O’Neal said. “Sometimes, things like that drive you. I looked at this wrestler, and she doesn’t have a large following, and nobody’s talking about her. I’m like, ‘She’s a beast.’”
So he reached out to her directly, offering sponsorship help. But Humphries didn’t ask for money.
“She said, ‘Mr. O’Neal, I don’t need any money — but I do need a car.’ So I said, ‘I’ll take care of it. Let me talk to your parents.’”
Shaq then called her family to make sure they were comfortable with the surprise.
“I asked, ‘Do I have permission to buy your daughter a car, no strings attached?’ I told them, ‘I don’t want a sponsorship or anything in return. I just see how hard she’s working and want to help.’”
True to his word, he delivered — and drove away without fanfare.
“I Just Call It Doing the Right Thing”
While the rest of the world calls it generosity, O’Neal insists it’s something simpler.
“People call it giving back,” he said. “I just call it doing the right thing.”
But for anyone thinking about hitting Shaq up for a new ride, he made one thing clear: “Now, I get a lot of requests like, ‘Hey, buy me a car.’ People need to understand it don’t work like that. I have to find you — you can’t find me.”
Shaq’s Tradition of Big Giving
This isn’t the first time Shaq has made headlines for random acts of kindness. Over the years, he’s surprised strangers and fans with cars, laptops, rent money, jewelry, and even engagement rings. He’s bought meals for entire families, covered bills for struggling parents, and helped children with medical needs — all without seeking attention.
In 2022, he bought a family of 11 a pair of new vans and treated them to dinner at an Atlanta restaurant. In 2023, he gifted a man a truck after hearing about his work with youth programs. O’Neal has made it a personal mission to quietly bless others when he sees someone trying to do the right thing but lacking the means to get there.
It’s that mix of humor, humility, and heart that keeps fans calling him “Superman” long after his playing days. For Shaq, though, it’s simple: “When you’re in a position to help somebody, you just do it.”