Colts star Darius Leonard became the real Santa Claus for kids in Indianapolis ... by bringing them on a holiday shopping spree!!
Leonard teamed up with Walmart for his first "Shop With a Jock" event ... where 50 lucky kids from the Boys & Girls Club in Indy got to go shopping with the linebacker with $100 gift cards for the store.
The special moment was caught on camera -- Leonard walked down each aisle at the local Walmart with the kids who picked out gifts like clothes and toys.
After that, they got to eat Papa John's pizza with Leonard and his teammates!!
One kid told WTHR he was so surprised he was shopping with an NFL star ... saying, "A football player in front of my eyes!" ... How adorable is that?!?
Your feel-good story today.#Colts LB Darius Leonard hosted "Shop with a Jock" where 50 kids from @BGCINDY went holiday shopping w/ @dsleon45🎁
— Taylor Tannebaum (@TaylorTannebaum) December 9, 2021
8-year-old Nemo is a reminder of the impact athletes have: "A football player, in front of my eyes!"@EAGSports I @WTHRcom I @Walmart pic.twitter.com/tOgpEsKciv
Leonard loved every minute of it -- saying he knows what it's like not getting much during the holidays, so he wanted to make a difference.
"I knew what it was like as a kid not really having too much up under the tree so just being able to come out and just be in these kids' faces -- now, they can go out and just shop and get whatever they want."
Leonard added, "They gonna remember this for the rest of their lives. Just tryna make a change in this world."
Leonard -- who has 8 siblings and 2 children of his own -- has been with the Colts since 2018 and the 2-time Pro Bowler has made over $29 million.
"Seeing the smiles on these kids faces is the reason why I do what I do!"
#GoodStuff