Shaquille O’Neal Buys Over $20,000 Worth MacBook Pros for Poverty-Stricken School District

If only we could go to school and end up having a chat with the one and only Shaquille O’Neal. No skipping school, if that was a possibility. For Roosevelt Mitchell’s students, a class earlier this month was that fun. Shaq called in to Mitchell’s class at East Saint Louis Senior High School and gave the kids some very good advice. He also showed his appreciation for Mitchell’s work. This is, of course, the gentle giant. He couldn’t end virtual class without a special gift that brought smiles to these kids’ faces.

“Shout out to @shaq for showing up and speaking to some of my athletes and also gifting them all with MacBook Pros. Shaq is a real one! I teach in poverty stricken school districts and Shaq gave them all an experience that they will never forget. Thanks again Champ!!!!” Mitchell wrote on Instagram.

O’Neal asked Mitchell how many students were present. A quick headcount told him 13. So Shaq informed their teacher that he was going to call his friend in the area who would deliver 13 MacBook Pros to his students. Even going by the minimum price for the Apple product, that’s more than $20,000 worth of study aid to Mitchell’s class. Considering this is Shaq, it’s not unbelievable.

The smiles on the kids’ faces were what Shaq was going for. He takes after his mom, Lucille, who will not miss the chance to make kids happy. That’s how she inspired the 4x NBA champion to start Shaq-A-Claus, his Christmas giveaway campaign where he distributes school supplies and presents to schools.

This classroom means a lot to Shaq because of their teacher. O’Neal put a lot of respect on his name, referring to him as Mr. Roosevelt every time. That’s sure to make him very popular among his students as if he isn’t already.

Shaquille O’Neal adds to teacher’s street cred

Roosevelt Mitchell III is an educator and finance expert based in Missouri. His primary work is as a special ed teacher in St Louis. He hasn’t been working in the Special School District of St. Louis County since 2019 but he keeps up his work with students. The author, speaker, and media personality does a lot of guest lectures now.

While it was a surprise to his students, it was not a surprise for Roosevelt. He’s got enough online clout to be friends with Shaq. He shared screengrabs of their talk on DMS, where Mitchell invited Shaq to take a class. The teacher also proved to his students he was that popular. O’Neal readily agreed, though his schedule didn’t allow him to travel to St Louis. He made the virtual session and advised the kids to listen to experienced role models like Mr Roosevelt. And maybe even LeBron.

The MacBooks were a surprise to Mitchell, too. For Shaq, it’s all a good day’s work.