After viral courtside spat, Shaquille O'Neal offered to buy couple's engagement ring — but it came with one unusual condition

Shaquille O'Neal's generosity and kindness know no bounds. He has financially stepped in and helped several people over the years. During a segment of ESPN's 'Inside the NBA,' Ernie Johnson Jr. arranged an interview between Shaquille O'Neal and a couple, Michael and Grace, who went viral after their conversation at a Pacers-Nets game was captured on camera. Michael was talking animatedly when Grace started scrunching her face in confusion and said, "What the f*ck are you talking about?" Everyone wanted to know what their conversation was about, and Johnson was the first to ask.

Michael gave the 'Inside the NBA' crew a very diplomatic answer, saying, "Unfortunately, it was as boring as it could be. We were talking about sort of the rigors of a liberal arts education, and how I thought it needed to be essentially updated for the future job market, and she disagreed." Shaq was the first to call Michael's bluff, saying he did not believe the story one bit.

While talking to Michael, he addressed Grace as his wife, and they corrected him. Shaq immediately jumped on the opportunity, saying, "Hold on. I'll tell you what. If you ask her to marry you right now, I'll buy the engagement ring." Michael tried to cut in, but Shaq interrupted, "Do it right now. Get on your knee right now. I'll buy the ring. I'll see your face. Look into the camera when you do that."

Michael humorously said he would do it if they came to the wedding, but Grace spoke up and said she never "agreed to this." Charles Barkley chimed in and said, "You’ve already cursed him out on national television. If you turn him down on national television, he better abort! Abort! Abort!"

The 'Inside the NBA' crew circled back to the main question of whether Michael would reveal what their conversation was about. Shaq said that they did well by "keeping it corporate" and not sharing the details with the public. Kenny Smith was really curious and was pushing for an answer. The studio was chaotic, with Shaq is telling him not to do it on one side, and on the other, Kenny telling him to do it. Barkley said that they seemed like a lovely couple, but asked, "Why they stay on y'all that long to pay attention to your whole damn conversation?" Before the interview ended, Shaq's offer to buy the engagement ring remains, and Michael and Grace hoped they would be able to join the wedding in the future, when it happens.

This was not the first time O'Neal offered to buy an engagement ring for a couple. In 2021, Shaq was shopping at Zales Jewelry when he helped a young man buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. "I seen the guy come in, and he was just so shy. He was saying, 'How much do I owe to pay off this ring?'" Shaq described the encounter. In 2020, the retired NBA player even paid for Dexter Rentz's funeral after he was shot. Shaq also paid for a horse and carriage and a custom-made casket. "A lot of people describe it as giving back. I describe it as doing what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to help those in need. If I'm somewhere and see somebody needing something, I'll take care of it. My favorite places to go to are Best Buy and furniture stores," he told PEOPLE. "I just always try to continue to do the right thing and just lead by example. I'm all about brightening up people's day."

People found it hilarious how quickly Shaq was to spot the lie, and the majority of the comments did not believe Michael's explanation. @Sonnel_James wrote, "Talking about education? Nah, that definitely wasn't what they were talking about." @CitizenoftheWorld1 added, "Y'all never had a gf or even been on a date if you really think you'd be talking about strictly basketball during an NBA game. But shoutout to Shaq for calling [the] cap on the bf."

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