The Biggest Charities Done By Shaq Over The Years | TheRichest
The legendary NBA star Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal played for six different NBA teams from 1992 to 2011, raking in nearly $300 million. However, with a love for business, endorsements, investments and more, the superstar makes more in retirement than he ever did on the court, banking around $60 million annually.
Not only has Shaq surrounded himself by those he calls “smarter than me” and continued to lead a luxurious lifestyle with mansions in Atlanta and Las Vegas, he’s been extremely generous with others in his community over the years.
O’Neal seems to have a particular passion for children and their desire to succeed, whether that be in sports, education or employment and he’s doing what he can to support others who grew up like he did.
Here’s just a few of the charity endeavors launched or supported by the seven-foot, one inch man with a giant heart.
8 Shaquille O’Neal Foundation
The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation was created in 2019 with the mission to instill hope and bring about change in underserved communities. Shaq has long been known as a businessman with countless endorsements and partnerships, many of which, he brings along to support other charitable needs and events. The largest organizations the NBA star supports are Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Communities in Schools, but those are just the tip of the iceberg when considering the variety of outreach programs and events the athlete has launched.
In order to continue to raise funds for the Foundation, Shaq has once again held The Event in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, bringing together a star-studded entertainment line-up, gourmet dinner and live auction for more than 1,500 guests and 5,000 concert attendees. Over $3.1 million was raised to benefit children through the Foundation.
7 Name Dropping
The NBA superstar can support charities without dropping a dime, though he typically brings financial support along for the ride. Shaq has lent his name and image to charities such as Be the Match, a bone marrow donation organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, supporting technology courses for schools with at-risk youth and Free the Children, helping build schools in developing countries.
6 Boys and Girls Club
The Shaquille O’Neal Boys and Girls Club of Henry County in McDonough, GA opened in the fall of 2021. The first club of its kind in the area will serve 200 students every day and includes a learning center, computer lab, arts and crafts room, music studio and more. In June of 2022, the Foundation, in partnership with Reebok, refurbished the basketball court at the James T. Anderson Boys and Girls Club in Marietta, GA as well.
5 Communities in Schools
The nonprofit dedicated to supporting students through grade school to graduation has been around since the 1970’s but just recently partnered with Shaq for the annual Shaq-to-School program, providing thousands of children with new school supplies and a new pair of shoes. In 2022, Shaq’s program hosted students in Las Vegas and each received a backpack full of school supplies to get them ready for the new year. According to the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, another 500 backpacks with supplies were donated
4 Coalition to Back Black Businesses
Throughout the pandemic, Shaq partnered with long time friends American Express to provide grants to assist black-owned businesses in post-pandemic recovery. The team provided $10 million, dispersed among business owners with a small portion providing programs centered on business mentoring and leadership development.
3 Combaq Courts
In 2021, Icy Hot partnered with the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation to renovate a basketball court at Doolittle Complex in Las Vegas. It’s a part of the Combaq Courts program that refurbishes existing courts to encourage young people to get in the game. Each refurbishment typically includes new surfacing, new backboards and hoops and local art installations. According to INSIDER, in the summer of 2022, another Combaq Court was refurbished in Newark, NJ, and includes a new scoreboard and resurfacing for better traction and low abrasion.
2 Shaq-a-Claus
Perhaps one of the longest running charities Shaq has been involved with, the Shaq-a-Claus event has been providing tens of thousands of toys, meals and other needs to youth across the country since 1997. Each year, the star hosts events in Georgia, Florida, New Jersey (Shaq’s hometown), Nevada and New York for thousands of children.
1 Random Acts of Kindness
Aside from all the work Shaq’s foundation and partners are doing in local communities, it’s not uncommon to hear of the retired basketball player and entrepreneur handing out cash in the most unlikely of places. He’s bought engagement rings for a shopping couple, groceries for a family in the check-out line and according to TMZ Sports, donated the $50,000 he was set to earn while DJ’ing in Buffalo, NY early this summer. Known as DJ Diesel when he has his DJ hat on, Shaq decided to still put on the show in Buffalo despite the recent mass shooting and met the widow and son of Aaron Salter Jr., a retired police officer who was shot and killed while trying to stop the gunman.
Sources: Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, INSIDER, TMZ Sports
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