Shaq helps gift hundreds of new shoes to elementary school students

Shaq helps hundreds of students get new shoes

Students at a Henry County elementary school will start their summer break with brand-new shoes. Shaquille O'Neal helped provide students with more than 500 pairs.

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - Former NBA star and Atlanta-area resident Shaquille O'Neal has been known to help out his neighbors from time to time, even spontaneously.

The NBA Hall-fo-Famer showed generosity Friday in the form of providing kids in Henry County with new shoes.

Soles4Souls partnered with The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation and Reebok to distribute 500 new pairs of shoes to kids.

Shaq visited Wesley Lakes Elementary School, a McDonough Title I school, saying he is happy to put a smile on kids' faces at the end of the school year.

"It's all about the kids," O'Neal said. "The two things that really hurt me this year were seeing 40 million people out of work, and I hate seeing kids who don't have what they need."

Organizers will distribute the remaining pairs to kids in need this summer.

It's not the first time O'Neal decided to give back to the Henry County area. Shaq helped provide gifts to children last Christmas with a toy drive.

In February, the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation and corporate partners helped high school athletes and athletic programs burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic.