That's awesome!
I'll admit that I'm not a fan of the way Shaq carries himself at times, but he seems to be a pretty cool guy when it comes to fans.
I know what you mean about being struck by how tall NBA players are when you meet them. I know I've told the story before, but when EA flew me in for the NBA Live 08 community event in New York where they took us to the 2007 Draft, they put us up in the same hotel the Draftees were staying at. I was going down to the lobby to meet up with a couple of the guys, the elevator doors open, and there's Greg Oden with a couple of members of his entourage. I'm 6'3", which is not especially tall, but since the average height is around 5'9", 5'10", I'm used to being one of the tallest people in the room. Oden just towered over me though, and made me feel like I was 5'0".