Legendary basketball star Shaquille O’Neal joined forces with Reebok to help out a 6-foot-10 teen who has record breaking size 23 feet.
Eric Kilburn Jr hit headlines earlier this month after his parents spoke out about the struggles they had when finding shoes for their 14-year-old son.
Kilburn, who uses the nickname 'Big E’, was forced to play defensive tackle without cleats, as he was unable to find any that fit.
The teen had just one pair of size 22 basketball shoes that a friend managed to find for him in an outlet store.
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“I just want shoes,” Kilburn said. “There’s nothing else behind it. I just need shoes because once I grow out of these, I’ll have nothing to wear – no sandals, no crocs, no anything.”
But seeing his plight, Reebok sent Kilburn five pairs of Shaq’s custom made shoes.
In a statement, Reebok said: “Since receiving, Eric’s been thrilled to be able to wear these shoes and even shared with us for the first time in years he couldn’t believe he even had options on different color ways and styles he could wear.”
O’Neal, who is currently recovering from hip surgery, also reached out to Kilburn over the phone to offer support.
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In a post on Twitter, Reebok showed off the five pairs of shoes alongside the caption: “We got you. Sending you some of @SHAQ’s shoes ASAP!”
The company was praised for the generous offer, with one fan writing: “Love this! This is why I continue to admire Reebok… they’re a sneaker brand for the people!”
Another commented: “This is why I love Reebok," while a third wrote: "Good guy Reebok."
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Reebok aren’t the only company to respond to Kilburn’s struggles - Under Armour also got in touch to offer Kilburn some custom-made shoes.
Kilburn and his family were invited along by Robb Cropp, senior director of Footwear Development at Under Armour, to get a 3D rendering of the teen’s feet, from which shoes could be made.
Speaking after he was given the shoes, he said: “Been worried for so long what I would do if I grew out of [size] 22′s, but Under Armour has come up with a solution.
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“It means everything to me, just having shoes that don’t cause blisters or just pain on my feet would mean everything. It would mean the world.”
And now he's got quite a selection to choose from.
Claire Reid