Big Shaq Gets Help from 3 Black Boys, What Happens Next Stuns Everyone!

The storm raged, relentless and unforgiving. Sheets of rain hammered against the sleek black car as it sped down the desolate highway. The headlights barely cut through the downpour, and the windshield wipers struggled to keep up. Inside, Shaquille O’Neal gripped the wheel, his jaw clenched with frustration. Time was slipping away. He had a billion-dollar deal waiting, a meeting that could define his legacy. But then, suddenly—boom! A violent jolt. A sickening thud. The car lurched to the side, skidding over the slick pavement before coming to a complete stop.

No signal. No passing cars. No backup.

For the first time in a long time, Shaquille was truly stranded.

The rain hammered against the windshield, a relentless drumming force that drowned out the sound of the engine. Shaquille tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles white as he stared at the glowing digits on the dashboard. Only 45 minutes until his billion-dollar business meeting in the city. He exhaled sharply. He had spent years building his name, crafting a career based on talent and dedication. This deal was supposed to be another defining chapter, but the universe had other plans.

A deafening thud jolted the car, followed by an unsettling pull to the right. The steering wheel fought against him. Within seconds, the vehicle lurched toward the shoulder. Shaquille instinctively hit the brakes, the tires skidding slightly on the wet pavement before coming to a stop. His heart pounded in his chest. He unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out into the storm. The cold rain soaked through his tailored suit, chilling him to the bone. He ran a hand through his damp hair, muttering a quiet curse under his breath.

The rear tire was completely blown, shredded rubber clinging to the wheel well like torn flesh. The rim was barely spared from damage. Shaquille sighed, looking around. The road stretched endlessly in both directions—dark, empty, and desolate. There were no houses, no passing cars. Just the wind howling through the fields, the ticking of the cooling engine.

Shaquille reached for his phone, but there was no signal. He muttered a curse under his breath. This wasn’t a problem he could solve with a call to an assistant or roadside service. He was stranded, drenched, and painfully aware that time was slipping through his fingers. Changing a tire wasn’t exactly in his skill set—he had spent his life on basketball courts, not under the hood of a car. He leaned against the side of the vehicle, exhaling through his nose, trying to think. Maybe he could walk and find help, but the fields stretched on for miles.

Then, through the downpour, faint laughter broke through. Shaquille squinted, blinking against the rain. At first, he thought it was the wind playing tricks on him, but no—there were voices, light and unbothered, cutting through the dreary storm like a song.

Three figures emerged, riding their bicycles through the rain. They rode easily through the storm, undeterred by the mud splashing beneath their tires. As they drew closer, the dim glow of a distant streetlight revealed their faces—three black teenage boys, no older than 15. They were chatting and grinning as if they had no care in the world. One of them, the tallest with curly hair tucked beneath a worn-out blue raincoat, noticed Shaquille first.

“Hey, mister! You need some help?” he called out, breaking away from his bike and rolling toward Shaquille.

Shaquille blinked, staring in disbelief. Help? In the middle of nowhere? In the middle of a storm?

He hesitated for a moment, then let out a breath. “Yeah, I really do,” he admitted.

The three boys hopped off their bikes, raincoats splattered with mud, sneakers soaked from the puddles they’d ridden through. Yet, despite the storm, their spirits remained unshaken. The tallest boy, whom Shaquille later learned was named Ethan, approached first. He pushed his wet curls out of his eyes and crouched down to inspect the blown tire.

“You got a spare?” he asked.

“Yeah, in the trunk,” Shaquille replied, still processing the situation.

Ethan nodded, glancing at his two friends. “All right, Tony, grab the jack. Peter, you steady the car.”

Shaquille watched in quiet amazement as the three boys moved with a practiced ease. Tony, a stocky boy with a gap-toothed grin, ran to the trunk and pulled out the jack and lug wrench like he had done it a hundred times before. Peter, the quietest of the three, pressed his hands firmly against the car’s body to keep it steady. Ethan, the leader, got to work loosening the lug nuts with steady hands.

“You done this before?” Shaquille asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Ethan grinned, looking up briefly. “A couple of times. Mostly on bikes, but hey, tires are tires.”

Shaquille let out a small chuckle despite himself. Here he was—a man who had spent decades performing stunts on film sets, facing some of the most intense sequences imaginable. Yet, there he stood, utterly useless in the rain while three teenagers handled his problem like seasoned pros.

The storm raged on around them, wind whipping against their soaked clothes. But the boys remained undeterred, working with the same energy and confidence as if they were changing a tire on a sunny afternoon.

“You don’t mind getting wet?” Shaquille asked, more to himself than to them.

Peter, who had barely spoken, shrugged. “It’s just rain.”

Shaquille smirked. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen people treat kindness as casually as breathing.

Within minutes, Ethan had removed the damaged tire and replaced it with the spare. Tony handed him the wrench, and together, they secured the lug nuts, double-checking each one.

“Done,” Ethan announced, wiping his hands on his already drenched jeans.

Shaquille looked at the newly fitted tire, then back at the boys. In less than 20 minutes, they had turned what felt like a disaster into nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

“You really pulled it off,” Shaquille said, his voice filled with disbelief and gratitude.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few crisp bills. “Here, take this. You earned it.”

Ethan held up his hands, shaking his head. “We’re good.”

Shaquille frowned. “Are you sure? It’s the least I can do.”

Tony grinned. “You needed help, so we helped. That’s it.”

For the first time in a long time, Shaquille found himself at a loss for words as they hopped back on their bikes. Ethan called over his shoulder, “Drive safe, mister.”

Shaquille watched them disappear into the storm, their laughter trailing behind them. For years, he had lived in a world where favors always came with expectations. Where generosity was often calculated. But tonight, these kids had reminded him of something different—something simple and pure.

As he climbed back into his car, gripping the steering wheel, Shaquille realized that what had just happened wasn’t just an act of kindness. It was a lesson.

The meeting was successful. Another billion-dollar deal signed, and Shaquille’s team clapped him on the back, congratulating him on yet another victory. But as he sat in his office later, staring out at the city skyline, he realized something strange.

The boys hadn’t just helped him fix a tire—they had reminded him of something he hadn’t even realized he’d lost. His life had been filled with accomplishments and deals, but he had lost touch with the simplicity of kindness.

Shaquille leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. He had to go back.

The next morning, he drove to the small town where he had met the boys. When he arrived, he found them outside the diner, laughing together. Ethan, Tony, and Peter—exactly as he had remembered them. They hadn’t changed a bit.

“You really pulled it off,” Ethan said, still amazed by what had happened.

Shaquille smiled. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The kindness they had shown him had left a lasting impact. It had shifted his perspective on life, and he knew now that this was what truly mattered—not the deals, the fame, or the recognition—but simple, uncalculated kindness.

And as he stood with the boys, watching their community transform, Shaquille realized that sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness could change everything.

‘All the kids know who Uncle Shaq is’: Lakers legend helps fund new L.A. Boys & Girls Club court

Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal attends an unveiling ceremony Thursday for the refurbished basketball court his foundation and Icy Hot provided at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
When Shaquille O’Neal was a child in Newark, N.J., he spent a lot of time shooting hoops at the local Boys & Girls Club as a way to keep out of trouble.

“Basketball was very, very healthy,” the Lakers legend told The Times during a Zoom call Thursday. “The people, the OGs made sure all the nonsense stayed away.”

As O’Neal grew up, he and his family ended up living on various military bases. Asked to describe the basketball facilities in those places, Shaq gave a chef’s kiss.

“They were perfectamundo,” he said. “It was just beautiful. I could just go there and it actually made me feel like I was playing in a big arena.”

O’Neal is helping to provide children in South Los Angeles with the best of both of those worlds. As part of their “Comebaq Courts” initiative, the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation and Icy Hot paid for a refurbished outdoor basketball court at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles.

O’Neal was on hand Thursday evening to help unveil the fancy new digs.

“I like the purple and gold court,” O’Neal said before the festivities, which also included a DJ and a slam dunk contest for the kids. “I like the brand new, glass Icy Hot backboards. I like the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation logo right there, so kids know Uncle Shaq bought it. Everything about it is great.”

Nylah, a fifth-grader, celebrates after sinking a free throw that resulted in a $20,000 donation to the Challengers Boys & Girls Club from Shaquille O’Neal. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Tyler Currie participates in a slam dunk contest on the newly refurbished basketball court at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
It’s a far cry from how the same court looked just months ago.

“The old court was cracked in many places and we were resistant to use over the past couple of years for safety concerns,” Boys & Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles CEO Patrick Mahoney said in an email. “The new court is an entirely new surface with an advanced supported foundation that will provide a safe experience for our members to play for many years to come.”

Lakers vice president of charitable affairs Kiesha Nix said that the team’s youth foundation has invested in a number of projects at Challengers before, including the installation of a new indoor court a few years back. She said the Lakers Youth Foundation had helped fund repairs on the outdoor court multiple times in the past, only to have the same problems continually resurface.

Wanting to get it right this time, Nix said she authorized various tests to determine what could be done to stop the cycle. The results showed that getting it right this time would be “a big undertaking.”

But then again, she said, “with the right partners involved, it didn’t seem so big.”

That’s right around when Nix got a call from O’Neal’s foundation, looking for a spot for its fifth Comebaq Court, following facilities in Newark, Atlanta, Miami and Las Vegas. What came next was a no-brainer.

Shaquille O’Neal speaks to kids at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club. In addition to helping fund the refurbishing of an outdoor basketball court, O’Neal is donating $20,000 to the club and Reebok sneakers for all the kids. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
“It just made so much sense for us,” Nix said. “Shaq had been supportive of that particular clubhouse in the past — they even have a pair of his size 22 shoes up in the lobby in their display case. So it was just like kind of meant to be that they were looking for an opportunity and I was looking for a partner to help redo this court.”

O’Neal said: “When I was here [with the Lakers], I came [to the Challengers club] a lot and handed out toys, handed out bikes, handed out laptops. So I’m familiar with this place. And the court was very, very beat up, so kudos to Icy Hot and the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation for doing the right thing.”

In addition to the refurbished court, O’Neal announced Thursday he would be personally donating $20,000 to the club and a pair of Reebok sneakers to all the 160 or so young club members in attendance.

“All the kids know who Uncle Shaq is,” O’Neal said. “It’s kind of amazing. I haven’t played ball in 12 years but they know who I am — and if they don’t know who I am, they’ll know today.”

A group of children cheer during the unveiling of a new basktball court at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Shaquille O’Neal poses for photos at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Here’s what Shaq had to say on a few other topics during his conversation with The Times:

— On how he’s able to balance his roles as TV analyst, businessman, product pitchman, DJ, rapper, etc., and still have time to attend an event like this one

“It’s called delegation. You have to delegate your time where it’s most needed. Like a lot of the stuff you mentioned is easy. Like when you say rap, I do that at the house. DJ — fly in, do a show, come out. TNT every Thursday, commercials — like, [there are] 24 hours in a day. In a perfect world I try to get 8-8-8, but a lot of times it overlaps. Like last night I only got four hours of sleep, so I’m really working, working to do a lot. … I put in some overtime today, but tomorrow I don’t have to do anything till 3 so I’m gonna get 12 hours of sleep tonight, trust me.”

— On his youngest daughter, Me’Arah O’Neal, committing to play basketball at Florida, an SEC rival of his Louisiana State Tigers

“I’m happy. I’ve never been the parent to be like, follow your father’s footsteps. I try to convince them that the pressure that they’re gonna get because of my last name doesn’t really exist. I try to teach them that pressure’s when you don’t know where your next meal’s coming from. It’s their job to be kids, educate themselves and have fun. I’m more happy that she got a scholarship to a great university like the University of Florida and in four years if things are done correctly she’ll have her bachelor’s degree. That’s what I’m more excited about.”

— On Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green receiving a five-game suspension after an on-court fight in which he put Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves in a headlock

“I’m from the old school, so you always stick up for your guys. Like, me and you are doing the interview right now — somebody come put their hands on you, I’m gonna beat them up ‘cause you’re my guy. But you get these people who say it was wrong — like, I try not to be a hypocrite. I would’ve did the same thing. I’m not gonna sit here and say he was wrong, he shouldn’t have did it — he probably shouldn’t have did it, but WWSD, what would Shaq do? Shaq would’ve did the same thing.”