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Teen with size 23 feet had trouble finding shoes until Shaq heard about his struggle

16-year-old Jor'el Bolden is 6'5" and 380 lbs.

Keith Allison|Wikimedia Commons and Tamika Neal|GoFundMe

Teen with size 23 feet receives new shoes from Shaq

Any adult responsible for raising a teen will tell you that not only do teens eat a lot and sleep nearly as much as they did as infants, they also grow quickly. Sometimes it feels like their growth spurts are literally happening overnight. You go to sleep with a squeaky voiced teenager that's still shorter than you only to wake up to what appears to be a fully grown man wearing your child's clothes.

It's no wonder that parents can have a hard time keeping up with the ever changing clothes and shoe sizes that come with a growing teen. But Tamika Neal's son has surpassed what would be considered the average height and weight of a 16-year-old, which means he's also outgrown sizes carried in the stores.

According to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, boys aged 16 are typically between 5-foot-3 and 6-foot, weighing between 104 to 180 pounds. Jor'el Bolden is a towering 6-foot-5 and 380 pounds with a size 23 shoe.

Except, Bolden's mom couldn't find a size 23 shoe for her son to wear. Out of options, the mother son duo turned to the local news station in Missouri where they live, KCTV 5 to explain the inability to find shoes that fit him. It didn't take long for the story to pick up steam and soon enough it caught the attention of someone that knows all too well how hard it is to find extra large shoes.

Shaquille O'neal, retired NBA player who stands at 7-foot-1, weighs 324 pounds and wears a size 22 shoe, came to the rescue. Entertainment Tonight got in contact with Bolden's mother and informed her that Shaq wanted to speak to them. According to KCTV 5, the duo FaceTimed the NBA legend who informed them that they should be expecting something in the mail from him.

Shaq sent along three boxes full of clothes and 20 pairs of shoes for the teen, some of them were from Shaq's own closet. Neal told the news station, “It’s better than Christmas morning, Santa didn’t send this, Shaq did."

Neal explained to USA TODAY that Bolden has always had above average sized feet since birth. Due to his size, Neal had to forgo the cute soft baby shoes that usually come with baby outfits and resort to socks only. The only shoes Neal could find before Shaq's gift was on eBay and were a size too small causing Bolden's feet to hurt when he walked.

Since the mom was having such a hard time finding her son shoes, she had originally started a GoFundMe page to pay for custom shoes to be made, it has currently raised just over $12,000. After she went on the news, donations poured in, which Neal says will be used to go towards larger shoes when the time comes. Since Bolden is only 16, he will likely have another growth spurt which will require an even larger shoe size, but for now she's thankful he can now walk without discomfort thanks to the NBA star.

"“Thank you for taking the time and the money that you have earned to give to me when I needed it,” Bolden tells KCTV 5, “Thank you for all of the things that will come from it and that already have.”

This isn't the first time Shaq has helped out a teen struggling to find shoes. March 2023, Eric Kilburn Jr. and his mom were struggling to find the 6-foot-10, high school freshman a pair of size 23 shoes as well when the NBA star reached out to gift him with new shoes. Maybe instead of the tooth fairy, Shaq is becoming the shoe fairy to some very lucky, very tall teenagers.

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Shaquille O'Neal gives the best explanation for refusing the perks of being a celebrity

"That's what we need more of in this world."

Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons

Shaquille O'Neal retired from pro basketball in 2011, but he's still one of the most famous players ever.

Fame comes with a lot of challenges, but it also comes with some pretty obvious perks. There's the money that frequently follows fame, of course, but there's also the special treatment people automatically offer you.

Some famous folks might revel in that special treatment and some might even express gratitude for it. But occasionally, you find a celebrity who refuses it altogether.

Take basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, for instance.

Shaq has been known to share his wealth with the average Joe without any expectation, just out of the goodness of his heart. He also has a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude about his own importance compared to other people, which he shared in an interview.

Not only does Shaq give generous tips to McDonald's workers out of appreciation for their service, but he said he can't even bring himself to skip to the front of the line when he knows he could—a fact that always blows the mind of people he goes to restaurants with.

"I know I'm 'the Shaq' and I can eat free, I just can't i can't do it. Because remember, these people right here make this world go around, not me. But it's my job to entertain them, and then when they pay, that's how I get paid. So it's all a certain ecosystem that can never be broken. A lot of people break it…but you got to protect the people that make you who you are."

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It's a refreshingly humble attitude from someone who could easily take advantage of his fame, and people in the comments love to see it.

"A true gentleman," wrote one person. "The more I see of him..the more I respect him.. Thank you for being a great person!!"

"Shaq is the kind of man who should be one's role model," shared another.

"'You gotta protect the people who made you who you are' that's why this man is respected by all," offered another.

"This is why Shaq is my fav! He never let the fame kill the goodness in his heart. He stayed pure," wrote another."

Some people shared their own personal encounters with Shaq as further examples that he genuinely is as he describes himself—no entourage, no perks expected or accepted, generous to the people serving him.

"I saw Shaq at a ice cream shop in a Boston suburb and he was alone and didn’t expect any special treatment and was very personable to everyone. His humility was incredible! He’s someone that kids should look up to! He’s a true gentleman!"

"I can personally vouch that Shaq is 100% correct here. I met him at a Subway in Florida. Shaq got in line waited while people was taking pictures of him and I started a conversation with him. He ordered his food and tip both workers $100 each. Very humble guy."

Humility is a quality that people who aren't in the spotlight don't always develop, much less people who are showered with attention and accolades all the time. Many people said Shaq's parents raised him right, but whether it's a result of nurture or nature or both, his attitude is one we can all take inspiration from.

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Shaquille O'Neal makes his kids write a business plan before he'll give them any of his money

A surprisingly relatable parenting philosophy.

commons.wikimedia.org (Photo by Eric Draper)

Shaq wants to teach his kids the value of hard work

The term “nepo baby” most often refers to the offspring of a successful Hollywood actor, but the term can more generally apply to those whose parents are at the top of other industry ladders.

The kids of Shaquille O'Neal, one of the NBA’s highest-paid players with a massive business empire, could certainly make the list. However, O'Neal is more concerned with teaching them the value of hard work—something all parents can relate to, even if they don’t have a net worth of $400 million.

Sticking to what he calls "respectable nepotism," O’Neal told Insider that if his kids ever ask for money, they have to provide a solid "business plan" before he'll consider offering.

"Since you want me to be the bank, I'm gonna do exactly what the bank is going to do to you," he quipped.

via GIPHY

O’Neal told Insider that his eldest son Myles, for instance, didn’t receive equipment to help his pursuit of a DJ career until after his dad was convinced of his actual potential.

Now Myles has made a name for himself as a DJ—holding a residency at Wynn Las Vegas and headlining across the country. And according to his dad, “he's done it by himself.”

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All parents want to set their kids up for success in adulthood. But how to really do that is often a dilemma, particularly when it comes to striking a balance between coddling and neglecting.

There’s no denying that being born into wealth is a huge advantage, but even then, there’s the risk of missing out on important life lessons that build not only practical problem-solving skills but character.

It’s no wonder why many celebrity or high-profile parents do go out of their way to make sure their own kids don’t lose touch with reality.

Drew Barrymore, for example, famously doesn’t buy her kids Christmas presents but instead focuses on making memories during the holidays. Similarly, best-selling author Esther Wojcicki parents under the rule, “Don't do anything for your kids that they can do for themselves.”

It goes without saying that being able to choose to withhold support in favor of opting for learning the value of hard work is in itself a luxury. But still, stories like these show two things. One, not all kids of celebrities are lazily mooching off of their parents' affluence. And two, raising good humans who thrive is a very personal and customizable process.

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Sweet video shows a group of kids 'saving' Shaquille O’Neal from drowning in a pool

Shaq is a national treasure.

via incantico/TikTok

A group of kids come to the rescue of Shaquille O'Neal.

NBA legend-turned-analyst and unquestionable American treasure Shaquille O’Neal was recently in Honolulu, Hawaii, for a DJing gig at The Republik. During his downtime, he relaxed at the pool, but that didn’t stop him from giving a group of kids a moment of a lifetime.

A video uploaded to TikTok by Daniel Chavez shows the giant horsing around with some kids at the hotel pool. Can you imagine being a 4-foot-tall kid and staring up at the 7’1”, 325-pound Lakers legend? It must have been like meeting a god from Mount Olympus.

But Shaq was humble with the kids and pretended to be having a heart attack in the pool and acted like he was drowning. A group of about seven kids came to the rescue and saved the four-time NBA champion.

@incatico
Shaq is such a cool guy tho #shaq #hawaii

@incatico
The kids brought back Shaq! 😂 #shaq #hawaii

In a follow-up video, Chavez said he was hesitant to film the wholesome scene. “Part of me was like, hmm, should I film this?” he said. “Or, number 2, should I just enjoy the moment? Number 3, I’m like, he’s relaxing, he’s on vacation, why am I gonna bother this guy’s privacy? But the journalist in me said, ‘No. No, this guy’s being real right now. He’s being such a cool guy. I’m sure people would love to see this side of him.’”

However, in the end, the outpouring of love and good vibes that the video received on TikTok made Chavez feel like he made the right decision.

"Shaq loves kids so much it’s so wholesome," Celestial Sylvia wrote.

"Shaq is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs," Kyle Caldwell added.

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shaquille o'neal

shaq

Teen with size 23 feet had trouble finding shoes until Shaq heard about his struggle

16-year-old Jor'el Bolden is 6'5" and 380 lbs.

Shaquille O'Neal gives the best explanation for refusing the perks of being a celebrity

"That's what we need more of in this world."

Shaquille O'Neal makes his kids write a business plan before he'll give them any of his money

A surprisingly relatable parenting philosophy.

Sweet video shows a group of kids 'saving' Shaquille O’Neal from drowning in a pool

Shaq is a national treasure.

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