Teen worked restaurant shifts to afford a car for wrestling practice—then Shaq O'Neal surprised her
One might need tools to work towards their dreams and goals. A gifted young athlete needed a car to go back and forth from her wrestling practice, too. The woman, Tamara Humphries, had quickly become one of the best athletes to come out of the Pittsburgh area in recent years and was working hard at a restaurant to buy a car for herself. However, she didn't know that there was a special gift in store for her, per CBS Pittsburgh.
The 18-year-old needed the car to make her commute to and from class easier. But she hadn't expected how she would eventually get it. Tamara had always been a tough kid, according to her parents. "All of my girlfriends stopped coming over because she was so rough with them when she was little," the woman's mother, Janiata Hewlett, shared. As she was quite a good athlete, the Pittsburgh woman decided to take up wrestling in high school a few years ago. "She is pacing up and down on all sides of the gym, got her earphones on. There's never too much talking, always ready to go to work," her dad, Deandre Humphries, explained. The student from the University of Pittsburgh and Johnstown had amassed quite a large following on social media because of her talent and passion.
However, she was not expecting former NBA star, Shaquille O'Neal, to message her. Tamara couldn't believe her eyes for a moment. The star athlete shared that he would like to help the wrestling prodigy in any possible way. He asked if he could FaceTime her parents. Tamara told her dad that Shaq wanted to call him, so she gave him her dad's number. Deandre was shocked at what his daughter had to say. The woman mentioned that she had a full-ride scholarship to the university, but she really needed a car at that moment. "I've never had a car," Tamara revealed. So when she went to work at the Palm Palm restaurant, where she had worked all summer to save up for a car, Shaquille O'Neal surprised her with a new car.
Along with the SUV, the NBA star also congratulated Tamara for all that she had achieved so far. "I am so grateful. You are so amazing. I love it. It's beautiful," the wrestler expressed on a video call. "I am a big fan of you because you keep bodyslamming people and you keep your grades up," O'Neal remarked. Tamara was about to start her freshman year as a part of her school's wrestling team and hoped to take people along on her journey as she worked to "win some Olympic titles." She found the entire experience absolutely "unreal." People appreciated the gesture and Tamara's achievements in the comments.
@AdamS-g4k wrote, "She was very positive. Shaq is, in my opinion, one of the greatest celebrities of all time. Consistently thoughtful and generous. Most athletes are nowhere near him in kindness or personality." @SummerfallWinterSpring commented, "Wrestling is the perfect sport for girls. It's non-violent and it teaches self-defense skills that will last a lifetime. They didn't have it in school in my day; it should be available for countless reasons." @kingj.m.d.6974 remarked, "Shaq will go down as one of the greatest people to ever live. His generosity towards strangers is as big as he was in the game of basketball!"