A Court Shaq Rebuilt Turned a Kid Into His NBA Teammate

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most famous athletes on the planet, but for nearly 30 years he has spent part of his time doing something a lot quieter: fixing up broken-down basketball courts in neighborhoods most people never hear about.

A Court in Orlando

Decades ago, while O'Neal was playing for the Orlando Magic, he rebuilt a run-down court in an underserved neighborhood.

A boy who lived nearby used to play on it. His name was Marquis Daniels.

"He was somebody growing up that I looked up to, he was the tallest person I had ever seen," Daniels later told The Associated Press. "He was playing with my home team, the Orlando Magic, and giving back to the community and showing his appreciation."

The Reunion Nobody Expected

Daniels kept playing. He made it all the way to the NBA, and years later he ended up on the Boston Celtics, as O'Neal's own teammate.

One day, Daniels brought up the court.

"He said, 'You don't remember me?'" O'Neal recalled. "I said no, and he said well I was one of the kids that grew up in Orlando and you fixed up a court. Because you fixed it up, I'm here."

Six Courts and Counting

O'Neal never stopped. Starting in 2021, working with his foundation and community partners, he has rebuilt courts in Las Vegas, Newark, Miami, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

In July 2025, he opened his sixth court since then, at Gloria Williams Park in Rockwall, Texas, near his own home. It was built with the local Boys & Girls Club so neighborhood kids would have a real place to play.

Why He Keeps Doing It

O'Neal has talked often about growing up as a Boys & Girls Club kid himself, and about how much a safe place to play mattered to him.

Daniels is the proof it works. A court fixed up by a stranger turned into a path to the NBA, and then into a real friendship.

O'Neal is still rebuilding courts, one neighborhood at a time.