NBA legend Shaq is showing to a one of a kind individual as he was a basketball player. Shaq agreed to pay for the funeral of 13 year old Malachi Hemphill, who last week accidentally shot and killed himself on Instagram live. After hearing of the incident, Shaq reportedly called and then visited the family where he offered to pay, according to 11 Alive.
The mother, Shantirea Bankston said, “We just broke down and started crying because Malachi didn’t have any insurance.We wasn’t prepared to bury him this young. We didn’t have insurance for him. So to have that from Shaquille O’Neal it was a blessing and very touching, and we appreciate everything he do for the community.”
It was a terrible event and Bankston feels that there can be a lesson learned to prevent other parents from this feeling of grief she says, “If one person, one or two people would have called his mom and let her know that he was playing with this gun, he may still be here today…That’s the message we are trying to put out there: if you see something, say something. And Maybe Malachi would still be here with his friends dancing and joking around.”
