If there is one thing millionaire Shaquille O’Neal likes doing the most, it’s bringing smiles to people’s faces. Be it his family or the underserved members of our community, the Los Angeles Lakers legend does not leave any stone unturned to make people’s lives as comfortable as possible. Not only is Shaq a doting father, but he is also a responsible son who would do everything for his mother. However, like most parents, Shaq’s mother does not feel the need to spend his son’s money on extravagant stuff, which often leads to arguments between mother and son.

Shaquille O’Neal’s mother, Lucille O’Neal, was all by herself when she was pregnant with her son. The mother-son duo had endured a lot of hardships before Shaq eventually found a father-figure in Sgt. Philip Harrison. Knowing what his mother had gone through to raise him, the Big Aristotle makes sure to provide his mother with all the luxuries he can afford.

Shaquille O’Neal convinces his mother to accept a ridiculously expensive gift

In the autobiography Shaq Uncut, the Los Angeles Lakers legend accounted an incident where he had to persuade his mother several times to accept his gift. Shaquille O’Neal was drafted in 1992 and his selection into the league meant that his life would finally turn out the way he dreamed of – to provide everything his parents needed. However, his mother probably found it a little hard to get used to all the luxuries of an affluent lifestyle. Therefore, when Shaq bought a brand new emerald green Mercedes for his mother, she refused and instead asked for a small used truck that cost about $20,000.

“When I bought her that new Mercedes, emerald green, she said, ‘That’s nice honey, but I don’t want a Benz. I’ll take that little truck over there that costs twenty thousand dollars’. It was a used truck! I said, ‘Sorry, Mom, but you are going to take this Mercedes’,” Shaq wrote in his autobiography.

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Furthermore, his mom apparently panicked when Shaq began buying every other electronic item in a store they had gone to. However, the 15x NBA All-Star assured his mother by saying, “Mom, it’s okay, I’ve got this. You want something?” 

Evidently, this does not just limit to Shaq’s mother. The Hall of Famer is also the type of father who likes showering his kids with gifts.

Shaq-a-Claus provides whatever his children need

Shaquille O’Neal once filled in for television host Jimmy Kimmel on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live! While chatting with the guest star, Mila Kunis, Shaq stated that he heard Kunis did not buy Christmas presents for her kids. While Kunis denied the claims, she clarified that she just doesn’t like to ‘over-gift’.

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Hearing a mock gasp come out of Shaq, Kunis asked the 7ft giant what he had done. The Diesel referred to himself as Shaq-a-Claus and offered Kunis to buy gifts for her children. When Kunis further asked Shaq’s idea of gifting his kids, Shaq simply answered, “everythingtheywant.com.”