Undergrad: General Studies
Post-Grad: Business
Ph.D: Education
Something I want to start doing more of is posting about athletes. My first athlete is one of the most recognizable names in all of sports. Shaquille O'Neal is widely regarded as one the most dominant NBA basketball players of all time, but it is less known that he is also one of the most highly educated NBA players of all time.
Shaq entered Louisiana State University for his undergrad on a basketball scholarship as a general studies major.
Shaq was studying at Louisiana State University but left school early during his undergrad to enter the NBA draft. Even after Shaq became a star in the NBA Shaq still was committed to earning his degree due to a promise he made to his parents before he decided to enter the NBA draft. It was particularly important for Shaq's mother that her son was not only an NBA player, but a well-educated college graduate. It took another eight years but Shaq eventually completed his bachelors degree in general studies with a minor in political science. Shaq is one of just a handful of players in NBA history to have finished off his degree while he was playing in the NBA. Shaq finished off most of his classes during his summers.
As O'Neal flourished in the NBA he became increasingly frustrated that during business meetings people would say hello to him and then cease to address when it came to the actual business negotiations, and just address his agent. Shaq decided to go for his MBA at the University of Phoenix's online degree program so that he could be well-versed in the language of business. He said that once he got his MBA he was treated with much more respect during his business meetings.
Shaq was not done there. He enrolled in a doctoral program at Barry University where he studied leadership and education with a specialization in human resource development Shaw was pursuing his doctoral degree while still playing in the NBA and it took him four and a half years to finish off that degree. It is said that he received a cumulative GPA of 3.8. O'Neal's doctoral assignment was on how CEOs use humour in the workplace. Shaq has said that he is also considering pursuing law school in the future.
The big guy famously carried his professor at his graduation ceremony from Barry University.
Shaq discussed how there is nothing more important than education. Shaq has discussed in interviews that he might lose his money someday, he knows he'll lose his basketball skills someday but one thing he can never lose is the intellect which he takes away from his experiences in university and the degrees which he has been awarded with .
Shaq can be seen talking about his degree in this interview with CNN:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/sports/2012/05/06/nr-whitfield-shaq.cnn