Shaquille O’Neal does good deed for Missouri teenager in need of big shoes

In a great display of celebrity generosity, one of the NBA’s all-time greats helped a Missouri teenager in his desperate search for very difficult size sneakers.

16-year-old Jor’El Bolden of Missouri is already 6-foot-5 and 380 pounds, with a size 23 wide foot. Because of Bolden’s uncommon size, it has proven quite difficult for him and his mother to find an adequate pair of shoes.

A Missouri teen's call for help to find shoes was answered by a secret Shaq-Ta, if you will.

After the mother-son duo went to news station KCTV 5 back in January, their plea for sneaker help reached a very prominent fellow of similar stature.

Shortly thereafter, Bolden’s mother received a message from Entertainment Tonight saying “someone special wants to talk to you”, it proved to be none other than NBA icon, Shaquille O’Neal.

The dominant big-man knows his fair share of hassles when it comes to finding shoes, as Shaq wears a size 22. After speaking with the Boldens on FaceTime, Shaq promised to help them out on their mission by sending a plentiful gift pack.

And talk about lofty, as Shaq sent over three boxes of clothing and over 20 pairs of sneakers for Bolden to enjoy. To say the act of kindness wasn’t a relief for the Boldens is an understatement. It had gotten to the point where Jor’El’s struggles to find comfortable shoes was impacting his everyday social life.

“I have to wear the shoes that hurt my feet,” Bolden told USA Today. “Everyday I go out to walk and stuff, it hurts my feet.”

Shaquille O’Neal is no stranger to good deeds as he’s previously helped a Michigan teenager with a similar issue, not to mention Shaq’s annual Shaq-A-Claus events where he runs a toy drive for underprivileged children.

Jor'El's journey to accommodate his large shoe size continues with a GoFundMe campaign organized by his mother, as the Bolden's expect he is bound to reach another significant growth spurt. But in the meantime, the generosity of an NBA gentle giant is more than appreciated by the thankful Bolden's.