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'Make people smile': NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal's act of kindness

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has been praised after kindly paying off a man's engagement ring in a random encounter earlier this week. Pictures: Instagram/NBA on TNT
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has been praised after kindly paying off a man's engagement ring in a random encounter earlier this week. Pictures: Instagram/NBA on TNT

NBA legend and "Inside the NBA" analyst Shaquille O'Neal made a man's day earlier this week, deciding to pay for the engagement ring the man was about to buy at an Atlanta jewelry store.

In a video posted on his Instagram, Shaq hands his black credit card to a store employee, then shakes the hand of the guy whose ring he just purchased.

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On Tuesday night's edition of 'Inside the NBA', Shaq talked about his random act of kindness.

He was apparently at the store to buy some hoop earrings when he heard the guy asking how much he owed on the ring. That's all it took for Shaq to step in and handle the transaction.

"I saw the guy come in, he was just so shy, he was saying 'hey, who much do I owe to pay off my ring?'" Shaq said.

"I was just like 'my man, how much is the ring?'

"This is something I do every day....I'm into making people happy.

"Whenever I try and leave the house, I try and do a good deed. I didn't mean for this to get out, I don't do it for that.

"I'm just trying to make people smile, that's all."

Shaq also said that paying for people's stuff is something he does all the time. He recalled paying for the furniture of a mother with an autistic child when he was out shopping with his mother recently, but there are more examples out in the world.

In January 2020, Shaq paid for a man's Best Buy purchase after he expressed condolences on the loss of Kobe Bryant.

Perfect Durant fuels Nets' NBA rout

Kevin Durant returned from a 23-game absence to spark Brooklyn as the Nets thrashed the New Orleans Pelicans 139-111 on Wednesday.

The Nets produced their most explosive half of the season with Durant finishing with 17 points on 5-for-5 shooting.

Durant came off the bench with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter and by the time the period ended, the Nets had 79 points and a 20-point half-time lead. Brooklyn were a sizzling 14 for 18 (78 per cent) in their 43-point quarter.

"I expected to come out here and play the way I played," Durant said. "I wasn't trying to ease into the game."

Durant added seven rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes in his return from a strained left hamstring. He was originally listed in the starting line-up, but was removed in a revised line-up distributed minutes before his first game since February 13.

Coach Steve Nash said bringing Durant off the bench was so the Nets could more easily control his minutes if the game was close down the stretch.

It wasn't.

"We got dominated at both ends of the floor. Totally dominated," Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We couldn't get out to the 3-point line. Our defence was absurd. They totally dominated us."

Kevin Durant returned from injury in a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Kevin Durant returned from injury in a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) (NBAE via Getty Images)

Durant got an ovation from the first home crowd he'd played in front of with the Nets. Barclays Centre only began allowing limited crowds on February 23.

Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 in the Nets' ninth straight home win.

Eric Bledsoe scored 26 points for the Pelicans before being ejected in the third quarter.

With AAP

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