Sports

Shaquille O'Neal Spent $20,000 on Onstage Seat for His Mother to Watch John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, and More Perform at Fundraiser

The Los Angeles Lakers legend also bid $50,000 on a vacation to Bora Bora.

Paras Griffin / Getty Images for HBO

Shaquille O'Neal has never shied away from expressing his love through generous pursuits.

As reported by People magazine, the Los Angeles Lakers legend recently hosted his annual fundraiser, The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand.

As part of a live auction, Shaq dropped $20,000 so his mother, Lucille O'Neal, could sit at an onstage table to watch performances by John Legend and Jennifer Hudson, among others.

On Saturday, Shaq hopped on Instagram to thank Legend for the performance. "Best you ever had @johnlegend thanks brother," O'Neal captioned a clip of the singer performing.

The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, an annual charity event for underserved children, has been able to raise some big money over the years as a result of auction buys and ticket sales. Back in 2021, it brought in $2.9 million and in 2022 the event racked up $3.15 million in funds, according to People.

Of course, Shaq's generosity isn't reserved only for family members.

Back in June 2022, the 51-year-old dropped $25,000 to pay the tab for an entire restaurant. The selfless move took place while O'Neal was on a date at Jue Lan Club in New York City.

A source who was at the restaurant told Page Six that the bill came out to well over $25,000 for all 40 tables that were filled that night. The source also said that Shaq wanted to keep the good deed under wraps until he left. 

The insider added that Shaq left the restaurant staff "the biggest tip they’ve ever received."

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