Shaq pays for five year old murder victim's funeral

[Andrew]

Story

Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal paid for the funeral of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl after being moved by national news coverage of the case of Shaniya Davis, who police say was kidnapped and killed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers player was touched by the stories he saw and got in touch with the family to see what he could do to help, a spokeswoman for O’Neal said Thursday.

More than 2,000 people attended the girl’s funeral Sunday. Her body was found Nov. 16 beside a rural road.

Her mother, Antionette Davis, who had reported the child missing six days earlier, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. Mario McNeill is charged with murder, rape and kidnapping in the case.

A very classy and kind-hearted gesture by Shaq.

[Kenny]

Can't help but love Shaq. He can talk trash but when it comes down to it, he has major heart

[Andrew]

Agreed. I don't care for some of the things he says at times, but acts like this speak volumes about his character.

[Oznogrd]

its odd to me because i can never get my head around shaq. Sometimes he acts like a selfish media whore, other time's a god amongst men. Maybe the view i have of shaq is just to intimidate his opponents but i've never been a huge fan of his during interviews. Good for him though in doing a good thing for an family going through a rough time.

[Modifly]

Agreed. I don't care for some of the things he says at times, but acts like this speak volumes about his character.

Cant agree more on this.

[NovU]

What a deed. I always liked him after his days of Lakers and especially during days in Miami. He seemed to be a great character, who knew how to have fun while not acting like typical multi millionaire NBA jerk.

[JaoSming]

classy move

[Andrew]

its odd to me because i can never get my head around shaq. Sometimes he acts like a selfish media whore, other time's a god amongst men. Maybe the view i have of shaq is just to intimidate his opponents but i've never been a huge fan of his during interviews. Good for him though in doing a good thing for an family going through a rough time.

I think when it comes to basketball, he could be a little insecure about his legacy despite all his success which leads to him making childish remarks about other players in the league and he probably enjoys the attention that his brash statements generate. However, when it comes down to it he's actually a good person.

[Lightning Strike]

A real superman. A very kind gesture by Shaq, not much I can say that hasn't been covered, but it's very enlightening to see him do something like this, I am impressed.

[NovU]

Guys like Shaq showing interests in issues like that only helps the image of NBA I think. And I totally agree with Andrew, that he was somewhat defending his legacy and success in ways people might think cocky or even childish at times. It was totally understandable in exception of comment he made when leaving Miami.

[Andrew]

Actually, I'd say in some cases he is just being childish, such as the unprovoked attacks on Dwight Howard last season. But clearly, that's but one aspect of his personality.

[NovU]

That I thought was a bad move by Shaq as Dwight felt offended. But again, O'neal always has been protective of his legacy and iconography. Maybe he felt threatened by younger fellow big man.

[Andrew]

Clearly he did, though anytime you're used as the yardstick for greatness in your field it's supposed to be a compliment rather than a knock on your legacy.

[Kenny]

It's going to be a really long time before we see another player like Shaq, not just because of his dominance. He has become a recognised figure world wide, even to people who don't even know anything about basketball. To me his legacy will be that of a guy who was bigger than the game itself. No one else in the league can make that claim yet.

[Oznogrd]

some other guys are well on their way to it but im not really sure if i'd consider shaq bigger than the game itself...I tend to want to forget Shaqfu, his rap album, and the likes of Steel and Kazaam

[Andrew]

Not to say his abilities on the court and his personality didn't help make him an instantly recognisable figure, but Shaq did benefit from coming along at a time when basketball was hitting its peak in terms of popularity, really taking off behind the marketing driven by the likes of Jordan, Magic and Bird. As popular as basketball may still be, I think it's fair to say its popularity has waned a little over the last decade and the sport has been marred by scandal such as the situation with Donaghy (and now allegedly 13 other officials). As terrible as some of Shaq's other pursuits turned out, he's also had some success in other things aside from basketball and more importantly the opportunity was there because basketball itself was a hot ticket and being one the game's best players, he was a bit draw.

[NovU]

True that, Andrew and some might have already forgotten but there were days when Shaq would make any team in the NBA a serious contender overnight. I think that's what happened with Wade winning a championship as well. His quick decline however was unexpected. But I don't have any doubts that he was the most dominant big man in prime. That legacy alone I think is something Shaq really wants to defend at whatever the cost is. He might have been childish at times but I think he was having fun with it too, with all mixed attentions he's been getting.