A tragedy in North Carolina had a devastating effect beyond the grieving family. Shaquille O’Neal is among the many mourning the four young girls who lost their lives in a house fire. Over 800 miles away from the incident, Shaq reached out to the family and local authorities to do his part. Supporting him is Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett. He’s Henry County Director of Community Relations, Shaquille O’Neal’s colleague and longtime supporter in the big guy’s philanthropy. Through Scandrett, O’Neal is helping one North Carolina community take a step forward in healing.

The incident happened in Chadbourne, North Carolina, on August 30. A house fire killed four sisters between the ages of 2 and 7. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. Currently, a memorial outside the house’s remains pays tribute to the girls. Shaq wanted to go a step further. He reached out to Scandrett, insisting that they help out the family. “It touches every one of us parents, neighbors and human beings,” O’Neal, a father of six, said about the tragedy.

With O’Neal’s encouragement, Scandrett enlisted help from the sheriffs of Fulton, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and other counties to cover funeral costs for all four children. The 4x NBA champion has frequently collaborated with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office to help out in Henry County and beyond. He especially runs the Shaq-a-Claus and Shaq-to-School events at local schools annually.

“He’s always had that heart. He has a tremendous heart and that links with my heart. It’s, quite frankly, one of the reasons why we got together,” Scandrett said. The sheriff also highlighted how Shaq’s help goes a long way. “That’s typically a tremendous burden during these types of timeframes. So we wanted to take that away from the families. All funeral expenses…These are personal funds. Personal funds out of our own personal accounts,” Scandrett said.

O’Neal also sent a message to the grieving family. “These were innocent lives full of promise, taken far too soon…this was not just a gesture of support, it was a moral responsibility,” he said. “You are not alone in your pain. We see you, we mourn with you and we’re here to help you carry this burden in any way that we can.”

This isn’t the first time Shaq has taken an initiative like this. The loss of children personally hits very hard for O’Neal, who takes the initiative to help the families. 

Shaquille O’Neal has a history of supporting grieving families

In the most recent history, Shaquille O’Neal did a similar kindness to a Louisiana family in 2022. A three-year-old in Baton Rouge passed away after a stray bullet hit him. Shaq paid for the funeral expenses quietly, one of the many times he’s done this.

Another Louisiana incident in 2020 moved O’Neal. A car crash claimed the lives of two tweens. One of Shaq’s friends in the area said that O’Neal reached out to him to help the family. “He (Shaq) called me and asked me to reach out to the family on his behalf, and get back with him,” this friend said. O’Neal paid for the funeral expenses of one of the tweens whose family was crowdfunding to cover the costs.

He similarly covered the funeral costs for 13-year-old Malachi Nasi Hemphill, whose case gained nationwide attention in 2017. But one of the first times O’Neal’s kindness came to the fore was in 2009.

He was still an active NBA player at the time and teamed up with LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Fayetteville, North Carolina, case of five-year-old Shaniya Davis had gained nationwide attention. O’Neal was sidelined with a shoulder injury that November and heard of the family raising around $4,500 for the funeral (an average cost of a child’s funeral at that time). O’Neal paid for her funeral, which was attended by over 2,000 people.

Usually, Shaq has a friend reach out to the families on his behalf. This time it’s Sheriff Scandrett. The sheriff said his office coordinated with the Columbus County Sheriff in North Carolina to ensure the funds were properly directed.