Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most generous athletes in the world today. Despite amassing millions in career earnings throughout his time in the NBA, Shaq does more than his fair share to help contribute to the community and build them up as much as possible.
O’Neal often helps the communities by contributing to charitable causes and generally does his best to give back to those in need. Especially when it comes to everyday people that he interacts with. Shaq once told the story about how he left a very generous tip to a restaurant server back in 2017.
On a 2017 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Shaquille O’Neal explained why he has a reputation of being a generous tipper (1:11 mark).
When he reaches a restaurant, he tells the staff that he wants his food quickly, and the quicker the food reaches him, the bigger their tip will be. The biggest tip he ever gave a server was $4,000 because he was asked for it.
“When I’m at restaurants, I like to show people my appreciation. So when they come up to the table, I say, ‘The quicker I get my order, the bigger your tip will be.’ And then the food will come fast. When we get ready to leave, I’ll ask them, ‘What do you want?’ And the most someone said was $4,000. And I said, ‘OK. No problem.'”
Shaq being generous enough to give the server a tip like that is incredibly heartwarming. O’Neal has been for the people for a long time, even sabotaging a meeting with Nike and signing with Reebok in order to have his signature shoes be affordable for families who want to buy them.
Stories like these just serve as an example of Shaq’s incredible generosity. Acts like these are why Shaquille O’Neal is considered one of the coolest athletes ever, on and off the court. While his legacy on the court was enough to cement him as an all-time great, his efforts to help others have made him a larger-than-life legend.
