Since retiring from the league, Shaquille O’Neal seemed to have a finger in each pie available to him. Going into broadcasting, while also taking up being a DJ, Shaq went on to add a plethora of skills to his resume. Having been a rapper long before achieving stardom in the league, Dr. Shaquille O’Neal seems to have another task on his list before it’s all said and done.
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Making an appearance on JJ Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast, Shaq and the Duke sharpshooter had a hearty discussion over multiple aspects of life beyond basketball and things related to the hardwood floor.
The conversation started when Shaq went on to describe the things he did to improve his free throw shooting. O’Neal mentioned the legends he worked with to help his shooting from the stripe.
And while that did improve his free throw shooting drastically, unfortunately, it always went back to below mediocre whenever he tried to shoot some in actual NBA games. JJ Redick asked the Los Angeles Lakers legend if he saw a sports psychologist, leading Shaq to reveal his plans.
“I don’t need a sports psychologist but I’m about to become a sports psychologist. I’m enrolling in school in the fall.”
When asked how many degrees he had, The Big Aristotle revealed all the ones he already possessed.
“Four. Yes, this will be my fifth. Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, Street. Yeah, I have a street degree and then I’m going to get one.”
Shaquille O’Neal got his B.A. degree in General Studies back in 2000 from LSU with a minor in Political Science. He then got an MBA degree online from the University of Phoenix in 2005, which was followed by a Sportscaster U. training camp in 2009.
And it was 2012 when the four-time NBA champion got an Ed.D. degree in Human Resource Development from Barry University. As for his street degree, O’Neal mentioned that he belonged to the streets and not the Suburbs and that is where he earned his street degree.
Now, according to AcademiaInsider, Shaq has been studying directing and cinematography at the New York Film Academy’s Filmmaking Conservatory along with plans to pursue law. However, there has been little to no information on the last two so far.
Shaquille O’Neal’s admiration for getting his affairs in order
Shaquille O’Neal was the man on the court. Fans, coaches, and even fellow players looked up to him to lead them to victory. However, that wasn’t the case when it came to finalizing business deals and that is where he got the desire to get his degrees in order.
“I noticed that every time I go to a business meeting, the guys we’re doing deals with will be like, ‘Hello Shaq, how are you doing?’ And then they would turn away and look at my lawyers, accountants, and all those guys. So I said, `Oh, you guys don’t think I’m in charge? You guys don’t think I understand the lingo?”
According to SportsIllustrated, this is what prompted O’Neal to go further than just possessing a Bachelor’s degree, leading him to pursue his Master’s in MBA. Along with pursuing his own Master’s degree, Shaq also went on to pay the college tuition for 15 of his friends who wanted to study but could not afford the fee.
