Shaquille O'Neal finished what he began decades ago. The 54-year-old earned a master of arts in liberal arts from Louisiana State University earlier this week and delivered the school's commencement address, telling graduates to, "Never stop learning."
O'Neal, who left LSU before the 1992 NBA draft and was selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic, told the graduates he was proud of them and urged them to carry character alongside ambition. "I’m proud of you all today, but this is not the end of your journey. Make sure you continue to strive, continue to learn, continue to have fun," he said. He also warned, "Youngsters, before you succeed, you must first learn to fail," and offered a blunt, branded aside: "continue to eat Shackalicious gummies at your local 7-Eleven and all the other stores."
The degree is O'Neal's fourth college credential. He completed his bachelor’s degree in general studies at LSU in 2000 with a minor in political science, earned an online MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2005 and a doctorate in education from Barry University in 2012. University officials announced his newest master's earlier this week; WBRZ reported Tuesday that O'Neal said he is close to joining the LSU faculty as a professor and that his scholarly area of focus would be a class on mentorship.
For shaq, the return to Baton Rouge and the commencement stage is both symbolic and practical. He left campus to enter the 1992 draft and built a multibillion-dollar public life beyond basketball — a career path aided by education he pursued after the court. The return this week, and WBRZ's reporting that he would teach mentorship, connects those two halves: celebrity and classroom, commerce and coaching.
O'Neal has not treated his schooling as a private pursuit. He completed his bachelor’s studies in 2000, the MBA in 2005, and the doctorate in 2012. Last July he partnered with Campus to create the Shaq Scholars Program, a promise to bankroll opportunity: the program provides underserved students with full tuition coverage, laptops and direct mentorship from professionals in business and technology, WBRZ reported. He has also been a mentor and celebrity judge for student entrepreneurs on The Grind, an online pitch competition and incubator hosted by Campus, the station said.
The obvious tension in this story is the collision between commercial fame and an academic role. O'Neal's remarks mixed customary commencement counsel — "Your character will take you further than your resume," he said — with product-forward pop lines and promotional asides. That blend is precisely what made his public persona effective in business, yet it raises practical questions for a university hiring a public figure as a professor: what will the classroom look like, and how will a campus reconcile the celebrity's commercial ventures with the responsibilities of faculty life? WBRZ's report that O'Neal would teach mentorship sketches an answer, but it leaves specifics unresolved.
There is also a narrower procedural gap: the station reported O'Neal said he is close to joining the LSU faculty, but LSU has not announced a formal appointment. O'Neal returned to Baton Rouge just days before Tuesday's announcement to receive his second master's degree, reinforcing the impression that this is more than a photo op — it is a planned pivot toward campus engagement.
Given the facts on the record — the degree ceremony, the mentorship program he launched last summer, his long history of returning to study and the WBRZ reporting that he is close to a faculty role focused on mentorship — the most reasonable conclusion is that O'Neal is preparing to make his education work public and institutional. He has finished another credential, laid groundwork for student support through the Shaq Scholars Program, and signaled his intention to teach; those steps make it likely he will join LSU in some instructional capacity, even as the university completes whatever formal hiring process is required.
