Shaq a class act, offers to pay for Mikan's funeral

[Duane]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-shaq-mikan&prov=ap&type=lgns


Shaq offers to pay for Mikan's funeral

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
June 3, 2005
MIAMI (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal wants to pay more than respects to the family of George Mikan.

O'Neal said Thursday that he wants the Mikan family to contact the Miami Heat offices, so arrangements can be made for him to handle funeral expenses for the league's first dominant big man.

Mikan died Wednesday night at a rehabilitation center in Scottsdale, Ariz., following a long fight with diabetes and kidney ailments. He was 80.

``I'd like to send my condolences to the Mikan family,'' O'Neal said after Miami beat Detroit 88-76 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night. ``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 credits Mikan as someone who helped lay the framework for what the NBA is today.

``Without No. 99, there is no me,'' said O'Neal, referring to Mikan by his jersey number.

Terry Mikan said he appreciated O'Neal's offer but said it would be up to his mother whether to accept it.

``It just speaks to what Shaquille is all about,'' Mikan's son said. ``He had a bond with my dad. They were close friends.''

O'Neal and Mikan were both selected to the NBA's list of 50 greatest players, and the two dominant big men of their eras met several times.

``He was a great man. We had many, many conversations,'' O'Neal said. ``Very nice to me. I know what he was and I know what he did.''

Both O'Neal and Mikan led 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.

``Frankly, without George Mikan, the Los Angeles Lakers would not be the organization we are today,'' said Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss.

Others at the Eastern Conference finals offered their sentiments on Mikan, including Heat president Pat Riley, who called Mikan ``the model for all big men that followed him.''

``A truly genuine human being as well as a great player. He made the game what it is today,'' Riley said.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Very classy of Shaq and it's not very often that can be said of any athlete

 

[Hostile]

I'm glad somebody posted this. I have always liked Shaq.

A few years ago there was a deaf vendor at the Forum. The Forum management let him go. Shaq hired the kid back and paid his whole salary. When word got out the Forum tried to hire him back. Shaq said no, he was his employee.

 

[Hostile]

Family accepts O'Neal's offer

Associated Press


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MIAMI -- 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.

 

[silverbear]

Very classy of Shaq and it's not very often that can be said of any athlete

I would have liked it a lot better if he had done it quietly... apparently it hasn't occurred to him that the Mikan family might feel embarrassed that they couldn't give the man the funeral he deserves...

I respect the gesture, don't get me wrong, but something about it smacks of seeking publicity to me, and I find that a little distasteful...

Note that I have never had any problems with Shaq, I'm not a hater...

 

[Payton34Smith22]

What would be even better is if Shaq and every other past and present player make it there priority in the current contract negotions to make some provisions for the 60 or pre-65 players still alive.
That way more of them won't have to sell off their NBA memorablia and houses to be able ot afford medical treatment that isn;t even the best but just what they can get.

My take on it? On the surface it was a nice offer, but doing it through the national media like he did, it was blatantly self serving. Mikans plight has been well documented within the sports world for years. If Shaq really gave a crap about Mikan he had plenty of time to help him out when he really needed it...while he was still alive and having to liquidate all his NBA memorabilia etc. just to pay medical bills and put food on the table. Good people do good things quietly and because they want to do them...they don't do them just to get good press.

And I like Shaq,just my 2 cents about this whole thing.