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'Is that Shaq?': O'Neal shocks students, parents by joining online class

It has been a tough adjustment for parents and children alike amid quarantine and self-isolation procedures during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have been closed at least a week — weeks in some places — and teachers are conducting classes online via video conferencing.

That can be hard for energetic little ones, so NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal brightened a select group of kids’ day by popping into their video chat lesson.

“Is that Shaq?” the teacher asks, unbelievably, after he introduces himself to the group with a hello.

O’Neal is a family friend of a student at East Lake Elementary in McDonough, Georgia, per TMZ Sports. He joined in on a lesson over a video call, surprising everyone and eliciting joy from parents on the call with their kids. They all got out phones to film the session.

The screen goes from room to room as kids say hello in turn during their first-grade lesson. One man’s face at about 55 seconds in deserves a spot in a gallery of classic reactions.

It’s a nice gesture from O’Neal, who has time off from his gig on “NBA on TNT,” to reach out to young students who may be having difficulty understanding why their lives seemingly came to a grinding halt.

Shaquille O'Neal arrives at the Grand Opening of Shaquille's at LA Live on Saturday, March 9, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
Shaquille O'Neal arrives at the Grand Opening of Shaquille's at LA Live on Saturday, March 9, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

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