Shaq, Reebok ship footwear to viral highschool soccer participant Eric Kilburn with dimension 23 ft
Shaquille O’Neal and Reebok have stepped as much as assist a 6-foot-10 highschool freshman, who went viral for his record-breaking size 23 feet.
Eric Kilburn Jr. — a 14-year-old soccer participant at Goodrich Excessive College in Michigan — made headlines earlier this month when he and his dad and mom shared their struggles of discovering him footwear that match him.
Kilburn, who additionally goes by “Massive E,” at present performs defensive deal with with out cleats — and he solely wears one pair of dimension 22 basketball footwear {that a} good friend occurred to seek out at a Nike outlet.
After listening to about Kilburn’s story, Reebok despatched {the teenager} 5 pairs of Shaq’s {custom} dimension 22 footwear this week with the aim of providing some instant aid.
“Since receiving, Eric’s been thrilled to have the ability to put on these footwear and even shared with us for the primary time in years he couldn’t consider he even had choices on totally different coloration methods and types he might put on,” Reebok stated in a press release.
O’Neal — who’s at present recovering from hip replacement surgery he underwent this month — was capable of join with Kilburn this week on a cellphone name to supply additional assist.
On Tuesday, the Reebok Twitter account shared a photograph of the 5 pairs of sneakers the model gifted Kilburn.
“We acquired you,” the tweet read.
“Sending you a few of @SHAQ’s footwear ASAP!”
Kilburn met with Below Armour for {custom} dimension 23 footwear on Sunday.
Robb Cropp, senior director of Footwear Growth at Below Armour, took 3D renderings of the athlete’s ft at Bridgewood Church in Clarkston, the place Kilburn’s household was current.
Kilburn’s dad and mom, Rebecca and Eric Sr. — who’re each over 6-feet tall — advised The Flint Journal that they went public with their son’s story (together with his permission) after manufacturers together with Nike and Adidas turned them away.
Kilburn’s ft have additionally been measured by an orthopedic specialist — and the household lately found an choice for custom-made footwear that might price greater than $1,500.
The value would have “strained” the household’s finances, Rebecca advised the Today Show — nonetheless, she did supply to purchase her son a pair.
As a substitute, Kilburn opted to put on Crocs for 2 years straight, together with snowy climate situations in Michigan.
Kilburn suffers from painful calluses, blisters and ingrown toenails due to wearing shoes that don’t fit.
He played three games this past season due to a high ankle sprain from not having cleats, and is still recovering from the injury.
Under Armour and Puma will be creating custom shoes and cleats for Kilburn, while Cat footwear wants to send him boots, the family said.
O’Neal is known for his generous acts of kindness.
The “NBA on TNT” personality previously told The Post that he wants to be remembered for his kindness before anything else.
Since retiring from the NBA in 2011, O’Neal has become known for helping others with grand gestures that have included paying for a stranger’s engagement ring — and extra lately, funding one of his favorite Atlanta restaurants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.