Shaquille O’Neal is using his platform and his compassion to help a Georgia family facing unimaginable grief. 

The NBA Hall of Famer said he will pay the funeral expenses for 12-year-old Jada West, a 6th grader who died days after collapsing following a fight near a school bus stop after school in Villa Rica, Georgia. The offer was announced in a joint news release from the sheriffs of Douglas and Henry counties. 

“No parent should ever have to bury their child,” O’Neal said in a statement. “And if there is anything I can do to ease even a small part of that burden, then it is the right thing to do.” 

According to the Associated Press, cellphone video reviewed by investigators and posted to social media shows West and another girl exchanging punches before an adult intervenes. The clip ends with West picking up her backpack and walking away. She later collapsed and was found in cardiac arrest. She died at a hospital on March 8. 

She never made it home. Sgt. Spencer Crawford, a police spokesman, has said emergency responders were dispatched on a report of “a young juvenile who was in cardiac arrest laying in the street.” Authorities said Villa Rica police are investigating, and an autopsy result has not yet been released. 

The AP also noted that O’Neal’s offer was announced alongside local law enforcement because he serves as the sheriff’s community relations chief in Henry County, where he also owns a home. The gesture adds to the basketball star’s reputation for stepping in when families are hit with public tragedy. West’s aunt, Lindsey McClendon Pettiford, said on social media that the funeral is scheduled for Saturday.