Shaquille O Neal (Cleveland Cavaliers USA) während eines Promotiontermins für den Sportartikelhersteller Li Ning in Peking | Credits- IMAGO / VCG
Shaquille O’Neal has multiple degrees, including an Ed.D. in Human Resource Development and an MBA in Business Administration. Currently, he is also pursuing a master’s degree in sports psychology, which is a testy topic of sorts for the Los Angeles Lakers legend.
Shaq has always been a man who values education. He listened to his mom, Lucille, and completed his bachelor’s degree after becoming one of the most dominant players in NBA history. Even after that, he hasn’t stopped. Shaq is an inquisitive person and loves learning about new things.
That’s why, when a sports psychologist gave Shaq some advice that he didn’t appreciate, he decided to do something that many wouldn’t think of. He enrolled in a program that would help him get better at the profession than the man he cursed that day.
“One time I went to a sports psychologist and that f***** tells me to breathe,” he said to Armchair Expert host Dax Shepard with some irritation. “I’m like, ‘You don’t know what it’s like to be in Sacramento down by 1, and if you miss this shot it’s your fault.'”
Having a degree and experience in a certain fields are two different sides to a coin. “That always stuck with me. No disrespect to what they know on the academia side,” added Shaq, who used the example as to why he wants aim his degree at a role of that caliber.
The Shaq-Fu master wasn’t done there either. He revealed that he wants to consider himself more of a mentor than a psychologist. “I’m changing it to mentorship. A lot of these young athletes, young men, need mentors in their life. I’m probably going to lean more at being a mentor than a sports psychologist.”
There are times when Shaq can seem like a ball buster. However, his intentions are always to bring out the best in the individual. With his sports psychologist-cum-mentor role, he can continue helping people with his experience, of which he has a lot, across a wide array of fields.
The degree train isn’t something Shaq pursued just for the accolade or the press. He is an adamant supporter of education. How much so? The Diesel once told Jennifer Hudson during an interview that he had one rule for his kids, which was both a joke and not a joke.
Shaq basically declared that without getting two degrees each, his children couldn’t have a share of his net worth. “I said, ‘You can’t touch daddy cheese until you get two degrees,'” he said.
Shaq’s mom, Lucille, earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration much later in life, so Shaq never had the excuse of being too old to learn. That’s why the NBA legend continues to support not only his own kids but children in general. Over the years, he has donated large sums of money and helped build more resources for children to learn and play.
This has truly made Shaq a jack of all trades. On top of his studies, he still has his contract with Inside the NBA and regularly hosts his Big Podcast. The Diesel also sneaks in some sets as a DJ, making him a one-of-a-kind everyman. The world is lucky to have a celebrity like Shaq, one who doesn’t have all the answers but seeks them out through learning.
