Shaquille O’Neal Visits School Where He Once Struggled – Teachers Break Down at His Surprise
Shaquille O’Neal’s Surprise Return to Laney High School
Shaquille O’Neal stood at the window of his Charlotte home just before dawn, gazing at the first hints of daylight. Even decades after retirement, the habit of rising early never left him. The 60-year-old basketball legend sipped his coffee thoughtfully. Today, he would embark on a trip he had put off for far too long: returning to Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina—the place where he once tasted bitter disappointment as a young athlete.
On a crisp morning many years earlier, a 15-year-old Shaquille O’Neal dribbled a basketball in Laney’s old gym. The glow from the overhead lights barely cut through the shadows. It was six o’clock—two hours before homeroom. He wiped sweat from his brow and braced himself for another attempt at touching the rim. Leaping, he felt his fingers graze the net. Not enough. He landed hard and resolved to try again.
Just days before, Coach Clifton “Pop” Herring had posted the varsity roster on his office door. Shaquille, heart pounding with anticipation, had squeezed through a crowd of boys to read the list—only to find his name absent. His close friend, Leroy Smith, had made the team instead, largely because he was taller and could dunk. Shaquille was relegated to junior varsity. Walking home that afternoon felt like an eternity. He dreaded telling his parents, James and Deloris O’Neal, that he’d failed to make varsity.
But his parents offered perspective rather than pity. “So what are you going to do about it?” his father had asked. Shaquille’s answer was clear: practice harder, wake up earlier, push himself beyond his limits. It was a promise he kept. Every day he arrived at the gym before sunrise, determined to prove that he belonged on the main stage.
One teacher, Miss Linda Thompson, noticed his disheartened mood in English class. In her twenties and passionate about teaching, she had gently assured him that a setback in sports—or anywhere else—could fuel future success if he chose to learn from it. Shaquille didn’t forget that kindness or the words she wrote on his returned assignments: Our greatest growth comes from our greatest challenges.
History proved Shaquille’s determination was unstoppable. He not only made varsity the following year but went on to star at the University of North Carolina, then to the NBA and global superstardom. Over time, he amassed six NBA championships, five MVP trophies, and forever altered the landscape of basketball. Yet the sting of being cut as a sophomore became the legendary spark that drove his competitive fire.
Despite all the fame, Shaquille rarely visited Laney High after his career took off. Rumors floated: perhaps he held a grudge, perhaps he was too busy, or perhaps he simply preferred to look forward rather than revisit old memories. In truth, he was unsure how to walk back into the place that had both humbled and shaped him.
Now, older and reflective, Shaquille asked his assistant to quietly arrange a trip. He wanted no fanfare, but the school’s principal, Robert Taylor, had to plan a special assembly once he learned that the most famous alumnus of Laney High was returning. Only a small handful of staff knew the real reason behind the event. They told everyone else it was a “special presentation,” hoping to keep the surprise under wraps.
Shaquille arrived in Wilmington early, first visiting the modest house he’d grown up in. Gone was the old wooden hoop in the driveway—replaced by a newer fiberglass one—but the memories flooded back as he stood by the tree where his father used to mark the kids’ heights each summer. He touched the faint lines carved in the bark, recalling the years he lagged behind his brothers. That longing to catch up had fueled everything he would become.
By 8:00 a.m. the next day, students filled the auditorium for the surprise assembly. Teachers ushered them in with varying degrees of curiosity. Many guessed it might be a scholarship announcement or a motivational speaker. No one anticipated the Shaquille O’Neal.
Miss Thompson, now in her mid-sixties with silver hair, guided her English class to reserved seats near the front. Her students teased her about her decades-old stories of teaching a scrawny sophomore named Shaquille O’Neal. They joked that maybe he really would show up and validate her tales. She only smiled, having no idea what was coming.
Coach James Wilson, Laney’s head basketball coach, also sat in the front rows with his team. He’d spent years working under the school’s legend—the famous “O’Neal got cut here” story that overshadowed all other achievements. Today, he was locked in a silent debate over which players to keep on varsity, including a promising but unpolished sophomore named Darius Sanders.
Principal Taylor took the stage, greeted the restless students, and spoke of Laney’s proud history. He mentioned a particular alumnus whose name was “synonymous with perseverance and greatness,” fueling a hum of excitement. Then, with a dramatic flourish, Taylor said:
“Please welcome back to Laney High School… Mr. Shaquille O’Neal.”
An explosion of cheers and gasps rocked the auditorium. Students whipped out their phones. Teachers covered their mouths in awe. And Miss Thompson—recognizing the boy she once encouraged—found tears slipping down her cheeks.
Shaquille stepped forward, raising a hand to quiet the roar. After the noise settled, he began: “I’ve played in the NBA Finals, in huge arenas all over the world. But standing here, where it all began, feels different… and special.”
He told the story many knew: cut from varsity as a sophomore, relegated to JV, devastated at first. “But that disappointment,” he said, “became my biggest motivation.” He located Miss Thompson in the audience—her eyes brimming with tears—and asked her to join him on stage. In front of the entire school, they embraced.
“She believed in me when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself,” Shaquille said, voice thick with emotion. “Miss Thompson, you taught me the power of words and hard work.”
Trembling, the older woman recalled the essay Shaquille had once written after being cut—a reflection on failure and how it shaped him. “He refused to let that ‘no’ define him,” she told the crowd. “He turned it into the fuel that powered his entire journey.”
After the assembly, Shaquille met privately with Coach Wilson and the basketball team in the old gym, the very place he used to practice alone before sunrise. Spotting the uncertain sophomore, Darius Sanders, Shaquille asked him to take a few shots. Calmly correcting his form, he stressed that success demands relentless effort more than raw talent. “If you want it badly enough, you’ll outwork everyone,” he told the awestruck teen.
Before leaving, Shaquille requested a moment alone in the silent gym. He clutched a sealed envelope containing a significant check to fund scholarships in honor of Coach Clifton Herring—now in poor health—and a personal letter thanking him. “Cutting me,” he wrote, “was the greatest gift you could have given.”
He slipped the envelope between the bleachers for the custodial staff to find later, then placed a basketball back on the rack. One final look at the backboards and floorboards that had witnessed his early struggles, and he whispered, “I’m back… thank you,” to the memories swirling in the space.
That afternoon, the principal and Miss Thompson visited Coach Herring in a local care facility. They handed him Shaquille’s letter. Herring, eyes glistening, read the words of gratitude from the greatest basketball player of all time. “I only saw a spark,” he murmured. “He’s the one who turned it into a fire.”
News of Shaquille O’Neal’s visit—and the scholarship donation—spread quickly. Yet those who were present, especially Miss Thompson and the students at Laney High, came away with more than a starstruck story. They witnessed proof that failure can pave the road to triumph, and that sometimes a single “no” becomes the seed of boundless possibility.
Apparently, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal’s heart is as big as one can expect for a man of his size.
He bought a laptop for a struggling mom
Shaquille O’Neal is known for his thunderous dunks (including ones that broke the backboard), winning four NBA championships and his often-hilarious mid-game analysis on TNT. But he’s becoming known for something else — acts of kindness.
Shaq’s latest good deed was revealed on the podcast, “Million Dollaz Worth of Game.” On the show, he explained how he purchased a computer for a mother who couldn’t afford school laptops for her kids.
“I got you,” Shaq recalled saying while at the cash register, according to ESPN.
He realized his privileged position
Shaq added that after a career as an NBA star and a current analyst, the price of a computer makes little financial impact on him, so it was worth doing what he could to help.
“$1,500 ain’t nothing to me but — mom trying to help her babies go to school. … do it,” he added.
My motto lately is it could be worse, and that could be you.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq is a do gooder
This is far from the only act of kindness to go viral for Shaq. He paid for the funeral of an 18-year-old Florida teenager who was shot and killed, as well as for an 11-year-old Louisiana boy who died in a car crash.
And this isn’t even the first time Shaq has purchased a laptop for an unsuspecting stranger. In early 2020, an Atlanta man gave the 7-footer condolences for the loss of his sister Ayesha Harrison Jex as well as former teammate Kobe Bryant, so Shaq bought him a computer.
“I like y’all, so get the nicest one in here and I’ll pay for it,” the man recalled Shaq saying.
Shaq unquestionably worked hard to become as wealthy as he is today, but what he rightfully realizes is that others are not as fortunate and could use an uplift. Hopefully, he continues carrying out these random acts of kindness and inspires others to follow suit.
