Shaquille O'Neal is stepping up and doing an amazing thing for the family of a 12-year-old boy who was paralyzed in a random shooting ... paying for them to live in a handicap accessible home.
12-year-old Isaiah Payton was struck in the spine by a stray bullet when leaving a high school football game in Atlanta on August 17. He was paralyzed from the chest down.
Payton was hospitalized and eventually stabilized -- but doctors would not release him because his family's 1-bedroom apartment was not equipped to handle his special needs.
That's when Shaq stepped in ...
The NBA legend -- along with partners at Papa Johns -- found Payton's family a suitable home in the College Park area and have pledged to take care of the family's finances for a year.
"We’re going to give her some furniture, TVs and pay her rent off for a year and help her get on her feet," Shaq told WXIA-TV.
"I was watching the story and it’s just sad. It could have been any one of us. It could have been my son. It could’ve been your cousin."
As for the shooting, the Atlanta Police Dept. arrested a 15-year-old boy who's being charged with aggravated assault.