Shaq to pay George Mikan funeral expenses

[CubsFan1982]

I don't normally like Shaquille O'Neal, but this was a very classy thing to do for another person:

Shaq says arrangements are made for Mikan's funeral expenses

MIAMI (AP) -- The family of George Mikan accepted Shaquille O'Neal's offer to pay for the late center's funeral expenses.

O'Neal said arrangements were finalized Friday. ``Everything's going to be handled,'' O'Neal said.

Mikan, the NBA's first dominant big man, died Wednesday night at a rehabilitation center in Scottsdale, Ariz., following a long fight with diabetes and kidney ailments. He was 80.

O'Neal said he greatly enjoyed getting to know and speak with Mikan on several occasions. Shortly after the Heat beat Detroit 88-76 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night, O'Neal said he would like to handle the funeral costs.

``I heard they were having some trouble, some problems, so if you contact the Heat office, I would like to pay for the funeral,'' O'Neal said.

O'Neal and Mikan are linked by leading the Lakers franchise to multiple NBA championships; Mikan carried the Minneapolis Lakers to five titles in a six-year span. O'Neal led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000-2002.

Updated on Friday, Jun 3, 2005 3:12 pm EDT

[WeRQ4U]

1. Sometimes these guys suprise me...

They had a friendship of sorts too though. Whatever you think of the guy, this is really an astounding gesture. Kudos.

[antigone382]

2. That was a very sweet thing to do.

a :toast: to Shaq for a good example of human decency.

[maveric]

6. Shaq has always been a good guy. He stays out of trouble

and avoids the verbal assaults used by other NBA stars <Kobe>. He's like a big kid that is just enjoying the ride of life.

I'll now check Newsmeat to see where his political contributions go.

[underpants]

3. I've always thought Shaw was an okay guy

considering everything "Available" to him he handles himself very well. This is a very nice thing for him to do.

[kick-ass-bob]

4. Shaq hasa always been one of the better guys around.

He just got fed up in LA and started seeming pissy.

[mark414]

5. awesome

i have always liked shaq, even when he was on the hated lakers...

classy, and Mikan was a true great, may he rest in peace

[SaveElmer]

7. I always thought SHaq was a loud mouth, stuck up jerk...but

I have now changed my opinion. This was definitely a class thing to do!!!

[LeftyMom]

8. That was cool of him nt

[Ekirh]

9. Saw this earlier....

Very cool of him to do.

[madrchsod]

10. mtv did his "crib"

his wife is about 5 foot nothing and she`s the boss...his wife and kids are more important to him than anything in the world. i really thought he was a dumb ass one shot big guy but i was wrong...

[GumboYaYa]

11. Shaq is a great guy.

He lived with a friend of mine at LSU. Even in college, he was always a stand up guy.

He does lots of things to help the less fortunate, outside of the public eye. There are several scholarships at LSU that he has funded.

[idlisambar]

12. Shaq also helps fight internet child sex predators

NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal will be guarding the 'Net and protecting kids from online crimes in his new role as spokesperson for the Safe Surfin' Foundation and a member of BCSO’s Operation Blue Ridge Thunder.

Shaq will be helping the Safe Surfin' Foundation educate children, teens, and parents about the dangers of online predators and how to avoid falling victim online. There are an estimated 77 million children and teens online today who will likely visit one or more of the 40,000-plus chat rooms child predators visit. According to the FBI, there is a "100 percent chance" of a child or teen meeting a predator in a chat room.

http://www.bedfordcountysheriff.org/news/2005_03_02.htm

[Scout1071]

13. His sometimes crazy arrogant attitude aside, I've always like the big man.

Shaq is smarter than most give him credit for and I have heard of him doing to great things with his money.

[Strawman]

14. Nice gesture, but tacky way of going about it

Ever heard of a phone, Shaq? You would think he could have done it a little more discreetly than in a post game interview on national TV. I'm sure he meant well and had the best motives, but Christ, have some tact.

[faithnotgreed]

15. please read this if you want a more complete version of whats going on:

 i would like to share a few things. anyone realize that the reason mikan needs his funeral paid for is because the bloated nba players still havent - after years of mikan and others of his era literally begging - approved for the old time players to receive a fair share of nba revenues? they are cut out
they dont receive anything but a pension that was agreed on many years ago and have never been let in when the nba really took off. wont include them in the collective bargaining money in all these years that the nba has made billions. and mikan has been asking for him and the rest of the guys to be let in. but its refused every time by guys like shaq and many others of course

so when shaq says " i heard they were having some trouble"
i just cant believe he has the gall to declare this to the media. hello. if shaq had really wanted to help this mans "trouble" then he could have done so a long time ago and without the fanfare

as jerry buss said, without mikan there really wouldnt be the modern day lakers. mikan (and bill russell etc) really laid the ground work for the big men

mikan had to SELL his own uniforms and trophies just to pay for his kidney dialysis. neither he nor his family wanted to - esp george didnt want to - but they had no other choice because his medical bills were so high and he had no money to pay for it

so i dont change my feelings about shaq. i never cared for him or his constant ego and inconsistent play
im glad he is doing this but just like any politician its interesting that the information about what a great thing he is doing is released to the media

and just like politicians, the flip side of whats really going on isnt played on tv nearly as much as the "heroic" act for public consumption

 

[CubsFan1982]

16. Way to shit on a nice moment.

Couldn't possibly be because the man saw a family in need and responded, of course. Thanks a lot, dude.

[faithnotgreed]

17. sorry if this information offends you. just sharing the facts sir

and like fellow duer strawman pointed out in a thread that if shaq wanted so much to help the mikan family - which i have said was a good thing - then why talk about it when all the media is focused on you after you win an nba playoff game
why the need to bring all that attention to it

i was only pointing out a bit of what the rest of the story is. im not sure how that is ruining anything but ok ill take it

[catzies]

18. Inside the NBA's Ernie, Kenny & Charles had good comments last nite

about Mikan's contributions to the league, and by all acounts he was a class act.

I love those guys. Next to Simpsons and Jon Stewart, it's my favorite show and I'm always depressed when basketball season ends.

on edit: Magic, too.