Ex-NBA superstar Shaq assists stranded Florida driver

Updated: Jul 15, 2020 / 10:26 AM CDT

FILE – This June 24, 2019, file photo shows Shaquille O’Neal at the NBA Awards in Santa Monica, Calif. A woman whose car was left stranded along a Florida interstate when her tire blew out got a little unexpected help from former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, sheriff’s officials say. O’Neal, who lives in the Orlando area, was traveling on Interstate 75 near Gainesville on Monday, July 13, 2020, when he saw the woman pull onto the side of the road, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said on a Facebook post. He stayed with the woman until deputies arrived at the scene. “He fist-bumped Deputies Purington and Dillon before going on his way,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A woman whose car was left stranded along a Florida interstate when her tire blew out got a little unexpected help from former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, sheriff’s officials said.

O’Neal, who lives in the Orlando area, was traveling on Interstate 75 near Gainesville on Monday when he saw the woman pull onto the side of the road, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said on a Facebook post.

He stayed with the woman until deputies arrived at the scene.

In the video posted to Facebook, deputies thanked O’Neal for his assistance. The driver is heard telling deputies that the tire blew out, forcing her to pull over and that O’Neal stopped to help.

“He fist-bumped Deputies Purington and Dillon before going on his way,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. “Hey Basketball Cop Foundation you’re not the only one that knows Shaq.”