Shaquille O'Neal Was 'Just Doing the Right Thing' Buying a Car for Teen Wrestler Who Couldn't Get to Practice (Exclusive)
- - Shaquille O'Neal Was 'Just Doing the Right Thing' Buying a Car for Teen Wrestler Who Couldn't Get to Practice (Exclusive)
Natasha DyeOctober 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM
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Rich Fury/Getty Shaquille O'Neal at the 2019 NBA Awards -
Shaquille O'Neal reflects on buying a new car for a teenage wrestler, Tamara Humphries, who was struggling to get to practice
O'Neal tells PEOPLE he was "just doing the right thing" by gifting Humphries the car
The retired NBA star found Humphries on social media and reached out to her and her parents for the "no strings attached" favor
Shaquille O'Neal says he was "just doing the right thing" when he bought a car for a high school wrestler after learning she was struggling to get to practice.
In September, O'Neal, 53, surprised Tamara Humphries, a young wrestler he discovered on social media, with a car — "no strings attached."
Now, the NBA legend, known for his generosity to friends and strangers alike, tells PEOPLE, "People call it giving back. I just call it doing the right thing."
O'Neal says he can relate to aspiring athletes like Humphries, 18, who have the talent and the determination, but aren't "given the credit" they deserve. "When I first started out," the former Laker "was doing much better than the athletes that were getting more credit," he recalls.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
Shaquille O'Neal on Dec. 10, 2023
"Sometimes, things like that drive you," says O'Neal. "I'm looking at this wrestler, and she doesn't have a large following, and nobody's talking about her. I'm like, 'She's a beast.' I wanted to call her and be like, 'Hey, you need some sponsorship money?' "
Humphries, who was "so nice and sweet" when O'Neal reached out, said she didn't "need any money," he recalls, "But she was like, 'But Mr. O'Neal, I do need a car.' "
O'Neal says he immediately said, "I'll take care of it. Let me talk to your parents."
When he spoke to Humphries' parents, O'Neal says he asked, "Do I have permission to buy your young daughter a car, no strings attached?"
"I said, 'I'm buying the car, and that's it. I don't want no sponsorship. I don't want nothing. I see who your daughter is. She's young and good, and I don't want to help in any way I can, and then I'll be gone,' " O'Neal shares.
"It's just about doing the right thing," he emphasizes.
But O'Neal also says not everyone understands his motivation in being so generous, and those expecting a favor likely won't be on the receiving end of one of his surprises.
"Now, I get a lot of requests of, 'Hey, buy me a car,' " he says. "People need to understand that it don't work like that. I have to find you. You can't find me."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
