If you’re a basketball fan, this one is certainly something to boast about and wish for. The Big Aristotle is one of the coolest basketball stars. Apart from his Superman-like skills on the court, he has always had an amusing personality that draws people towards him. He is funny, kind, generous, and the list could go on. No wonder it’s a wish on most of the fans’ bucket lists to meet him at least once. However, there have only been a few who have had the chance. And even fewer during his latest surprise Texas visit. Here’s how hopeful fans expressed their wish.

Chris Koetter News Channel 6, which claims to be a news personality page on Facebook, just dropped some pictures of the basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal‘s recent Texas visit. “Looks like Shaquille O’Neal had some fans in Vernon, Texas tonight when he stopped at Braum’s! I guess the Diesel needed fuel!” the post was captioned. Some of the pictures showed him outside a store surrounded by several kids. For some, it was a golden opportunity. Why?

He stopped by Braum’s Ice Cream Parlor, located at 4220 College Dr. in Vernon. Many were surprised and thrilled to see the basketball legend. A fortunate fan, Deiter Brannon, happened to be at the ice cream store. Brannon, who was wearing a T-shirt featuring former NBA point guard and Shaq’s former Miami Heat teammate Jason Williams, quickly caught O’Neal’s attention.

As Brannon shared, the two had a great conversation and the 4x NBA champ also clicked pictures. O’Neal even asked Brannon to teach him how to greet his daughter, who uses sign language to greet her through a video. While O’Neal is known for his charitable acts, he also engages in these kind gestures that will warm anyone’s heart.

More pictures of O’Neal greeting fans and posing with toddlers and babies are circulating online. This was about the lucky fans. But there were some unfortunate fans as well.

Hopeful fans lamented losing the chance to meet Shaquille O’Neal 

There were several fans who weren’t present at the ice cream store that day. Seeing pictures of the lucky fans posing alongside O’Neal made them happy. “I love this celebrity for a few reasons! Not the least of which is down to earth personality! He is a superstar but he doesn’t have that massive ego that is so prevalent with others,” a fan wrote. However, some hoped to see him in person. 

A Facebook user mentioned that while they weren’t fans, their kids were. Watching the viral photos, the user remarked how their boys would have loved to meet him once. “Dang my boys would have loved to meet him!! 💙” a fan hoped.

Fans also noticed that he wore a beanie featuring the Waggoner Ranch symbol. The Waggoner Ranch is just 13 miles from South Vernon. This fan also wanted to meet O’Neal once and wrote, “Omg!! I’m jealous!! Too freaking cool!”

Every time there’s an opening of Shaq’s Big Chicken, fans flock there in hopes of catching a glimpse of him. However, it’s rare for Shaq to attend the openings. This fan who was at work missed the chance to meet Shaq wrote, “That’s so cool I was at work wish I could of got to meet him I’m a big fan of him too.” Another wrote, “Oh wow!  Wish we had been there.” 

During the launch of Shaq-a-licious, the Los Angeles Lakers legend made a surprise visit at a Walmart, personally handing out packets to visitors and random people. These are the rare occasions when fans get a chance to meet him. This Texas visit was also one of those. But like last time, only a few were lucky. “Oh wow!  Wish we had been there,” another user wrote. All they can do is wait for another such chance!