Zach Keith is a 13-year-old boy in Georgia. He plays basketball and football, but he has one minor issue holding him back. Zach already wears a size 18 shoe, and his mom has trouble finding and affording shoes that actually fit him.
But Shaquille O'Neal caught wind of the teen's trouble, and he came to Keith's rescue.
Shaq can relate to Keith's story. As a fellow athlete with rather large feet, he knows exactly how hard it is to find shoes that fit, especially when you don't have a huge budget.
Shaq took Keith on a surprise shopping trip to Friedman's Shoes in Atlanta, a store that specializes in large sizes.
"I thought this was a good thing to do. Mom and kid, kid plays basketball," Shaq said, according to CBS News.
"Mom couldn’t afford shoes. The kid had big feet. I just kind of reminisced about how that used to be me, my mom and my dad,” he added.
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At the end of the shopping spree, Keith went home with 10 pairs of shoes that fit his feet perfectly.
This story first appeared on LittleThings in May 2019.
Shaquille O'Neal is over 7 feet tall and wears a size 22 shoe. If anybody knows what it's like to have a tough time shopping for clothes or shoes, it's Shaq.
That's why he was the perfect person to come to the rescue of Zach Keith, a Georgia teen athlete who already wears a size 18 at age 13.
Zach and his mom, Brittany Keith, struggle to find affordable shoes that fit him.
Brittany reached out for help on social media, and Shaq caught wind of the story. He decided to surprise the teen at Friedman's Shoes in Atlanta.
Friedman's specializes in large footwear, and it's a longtime favorite of Shaq's.
"If they don't come from [Freidman's owner] Bruce and Freidman's don't show them to me," Shaq told WGCL-TV.
Friedman's holds a special place in Shaq's heart. Bruce has helped Shaq out a lot over the years, which inspired Shaq to give back in his own way.
"Bruce did it for me, and I just want to return the favor," he said.
"Mom couldn't afford shoes," Shaq explained of Keith's situation.
"The kid had big feet. I just kind of reminisced about how that used to be me, my mom and my dad."
He ended up buying 10 pairs of shoes for Keith, all in size 18. He even bought him shoes for prom.
"This will help a lot. I won’t so much have to worry about buying him dress shoes," mom Brittany said.
"He hasn’t had a pair of dress shoes in about four or five years because it’s been hard trying to find the ones that actually fit."
Shaq's help meant a lot to Brittany.
"For me it was just very touching, very heartfelt, to know there is someone out there that has his back," Brittany said.
And as for Keith? He was pretty much in disbelief at his good fortune.
"I'm like, 'Whoa, he wants to buy me shoes, out of all people?'" Keith said.
Shaq took things a step further, too. He gave Keith some spending money, and he gave the teen his personal cellphone number to call if he ever needs help.
This isn't the first time Shaq has gone out of his way to give back to the community. Every Christmas for the past 26 years, he gives out thousands of toys to kids in need, among other works of charity.
That's because Shaq has never forgotten his roots.
"He's the same man now as he was when he was 16," Bruce said.
