Shaquille O'Neal made a bigger than life gesture for a Louisiana family who tragically lost a child in a car accident -- covering the balance of the kid's burial service.
Phil Conrad -- a retired chief deputy officer from the Lafayette City Marshall's Office -- tells TMZ Sports ... the ex-NBA big man recently shelled out a few thousand bucks to help pay for the remaining cost of a child's funeral, this after his family came up just a little short.
Here's what happened ... a car with an adult driver and four minors ran a stop sign, then crashed into a ditch and ultimately into a tree a couple weeks ago out in nearby Beaux Bridge, LA.