Big Diesel arrived in New York, shot a few hoops, cooked a local legend, promoted one of his gazillion products – all done? Nah! No Shaq trip is complete without a kind act by the big guy. Shaquille O’Neal has a habit of doing a good deed wherever he goes – dropping a massive four-figure tip on a server, giving out free shoes to kids, putting a store’s purchases on his tab, lending a hand to firefighters, or even taking pictures with strangers. Unlike Shaq-a-Claus and Shaq to School events, most of this happens. Like this latest one.

O’Neal is going viral for his latest good deed. Details are obscure currently, but from the clip circulating, it appears it happened during his New York visit.

An elderly lady apparently had a medical episode when O’Neal was around. The big guy called an ambulance and stayed with her till the first responders arrived, took her in, and drove away.

The clip circulating on the Internet shows Shaq assisting the medics in taking the lady into the ambulance. He exchanged a few words with the first responders and apparently patted their backs – a very Shaq gesture for all his respect for frontline workers and law enforcement.

No details on the patient, but fans are optimistic she’d be okay after Shaq’s help. The only obvious aftermath is how viral this clip is. Even though Shaq’s kindness is daily, he always adds feel-good fluff to the Internet with his kind acts.

It’s worth noting that he’ll get furious at the suggestion that he does it for the cameras. He once went viral for giving a homeless lady some food, and trolls called it fake. O’Neal has very sternly shut down those accusations in the past.

This kindness, though, was not spared for another New Yorker during this visit.

Shaquille O’Neal meant business in NYC

The last two times Shaquille O’Neal visited New York – and he’s around a lot while filming Gravesend season 3 – were very wholesome. During one visit, he entered a boutique to use their restroom and bought a young teen her quinceañera dress. The last time he was around at the NYC Hoops Academy in Brooklyn with his son, Shareef, was to give hundreds of kids free sneakers.

Right now, O’Neal was in the Empire State for business. He’s upgraded his partnership with Hershey’s and his history with Reebok to launch a new version of Shaq-a-Licious gummies shaped in his super-sized Shaq Attaq sneakers. While promoting the new candy line, O’Neal (who almost came to the Knicks once upon a time) wanted to prove he’s the MDE OG in NYC.

For that, he took on the local hoops legend, George “The Messiah” Papoutsis. Yes, the icon who’s been toasting hoopers a quarter his age. 53-year-old O’Neal with a shiny new hip came out of retirement for a one-on-one showdown against The Messiah at Pier 36.

Unlike the free-throw showdowns on TNT, in which Shaq almost always fails, this was no joke. This was easy and deadly – first basket wins, that’s all. George had first possession and nearly got one over the 7’1″ giant, only for it to miss. The next play was class Big Diesel, backing his puny opponent in the paint and unleashing one of his go-to moves, a turn and a sharp baby hook.

The ball went in, the crowd cheered, and O’Neal gave The Messiah a stare-down he probably learnt from Kobe. Sometime after (or before, the timeline is vague), he helped out the lady, proving that Shaq’s the same whether it’s on the court or being kind.