The aim is to make children happy. Following 22 years of tradition, the ‘Big Aristotle’ is back with his 23rd annual Shaq-a-Claus event. Like every year, the basketball legend has teamed up with some of his partnership brands to help realize this dream. After providing for 750 kids from across the world last year, Shaquille O’Neal took it up a notch this year.

Most of the time, O’Neal’s foundation joins forces with the Boys & Girls Clubs, Communities in Schools, and the brands he is signed with to provide during the holidays. Kicking off this year’s festivities, the Lakers legend visited Wesley Lakes Elementary to bring happiness to 1,000 children by providing food and gifts.

The food was thanks to Mercy Chefs’ meal programs, while Shaq-a-licious XL Gummies, PepsiCo water bottles, and beverages were also part of the collaboration. “I know here at Wesley Lakes Elementary, McDonough, we fed 1,000 kids today. I got coats, bikes, drones, laptops, shoes, free haircuts,” O’Neal said in the interview with Charles and Babcock of TMZ. 

He organized fresh haircuts by Great Clips, Hobbytron gifts by World Tech Toys, Shaq-a-licious XL Gummies, Tonka Toys and trucks by Basic Fun, JCPenney coats, and Reebok inflatables. These are some of the brands that partnered with Shaq and joined in the noble cause.

It also included carnival games and a live DJ performance. Following this, he plans to visit Atlanta, Vegas, Jersey, and Louisiana for the same cause. Over the years, he has devotedly followed this tradition. While as much as he wants it to be his idea, this initiative was started by Shaquille O’Neal’s mother, Lucille O’Neal.

Why is Shaquille O’Neal dedicated to Shaq-a-Claus?

O’Neal’s mother is a philanthropist herself. Ms. Lucille O’Neal’s foundation works towards helping underprivileged people. She has instilled the same values and kindness in her son, who makes contributions to bring happiness to children and makes his mother proud.

“I wish I could take all the credit. This Shaq-a-claus was created by my mother, Dr. Lucille O’Neal, who’s a fan of the show,” O’Neal shared. In the interview, O’Neal also admitted that, as a child, he was very tough and difficult to manage, and he couldn’t give enough reasons for his mother to be proud of him. So, he is making up for it now.

“She was not proud of me because I was a high-level juvenile delinquent,” the former 4x champ admitted.

“The only motivation just to make her smile. I’ve done a lot, received a lot, own a lot. But the biggest feeling I get is when my mother says she’s proud of me because there was a time in our life from 2 to 16, she was not proud of me,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend said.

Before expressing his love for his mother, Lucille, he also gave some advice to the kids. He asked them to listen to their parents, as it would help them succeed in their careers. “Listen to your parents, and you can become anything you want,” he added. 

The next stop for O’Neal is Vegas.