Shaquille O’Neal surprises family by paying for their washer and dryer at Home Depot

‘What an awesome human being’

Shaquille O’Neal has earned praise from fans after he surprised a family by paying for their washer and dryer during a recent trip to Home Depot.

In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday by the Hot Freestyle account, it captured the excitement from a woman and her mother when they recognised the former NBA player in the home improvement store.

“Nice to meet you!” one of the women could be heard telling O’Neal as she went to shake his hand while filming the interaction on her phone.

After introducing herself, the NBA Hall-of-Famer asked the daughter: “What are you buying?” to which she said her family was at Home Depot to purchase a washer and dryer.

“Okay, I’m going to pay for it,” O’Neal informed the pair, at which point the woman began to scream in excitement, before explaining the athlete’s offer to her mother, who then responded with similar glee.

The pair then hugged O’Neal in gratitude as they continued to film the interaction. “Bless you, bless you,” the mother could be heard telling the sports analyst, before he encouraged the family to pick out the washer and dryer they wanted so he could pay for it.

The clip, which has been viewed more than 16 million times, then captured O’Neal accompanying the women and a Home Depot employee as they picked out a washer and dryer.

O’Neal, who releases music under the name DJ Diesel, was at Home Depot to record a music video for his song “I Know I Got It”.

The basketball player shared a clip of the music video on Twitter, in which he could be seen singing in the aisles of the store while wearing an orange Home Depot apron. The music video also captured O’Neal’s other interactions with Home Depot employees and customers, including a young boy who could be seen dancing in the clip.

“Shaq loves @HomeDepot and remember have a nice day and remember to just laugh,” O’Neal captioned the video.

On social media, fans have praised O’Neal’s generosity in response to the kind gesture, while many noted that he is well-known for buying gifts for his fans.

“Gotta love Shaq. What an awesome human being,” one person wrote, while another tweeted: “One of the nicest celebrities around, always giving back to the community.”

Last year, the four-time NBA champion opened up to People about the enjoyment he gets from giving back to fans, telling the outlet: “My favourite thing to do is when I’m in Best Buy, Walmart, if I see a kid, get them something that I see he’s looking at.

“I try to make every day a meaningful moment for a fan, and especially a kid.”