“My father was big on education” – Shaquille O’Neal credited his dad for discouraging him to make the NBA jump straight out of high school

“My father was big on education” – Shaquille O’Neal credited his dad for discouraging him to make the NBA jump straight out of high school originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Shaquille O’Neal could have entered the NBA early had he wanted to. It would have ended years of poverty for him and his family although his parents knew better.

Shaq’s folks knew the value of education and how it could assure him of a better future. The LSU product admitted that his stepfather, Philip Harrison, placed a premium on getting a good education, something he eventually understood.

“My father was so big on education. He was really big on education. He did a good job of teaching me horror stories. Always tells this story and some people may take it the wrong way. But I really appreciated what he did,” O’Neal shared on New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.

Mom knew best too

Shaq’s father was not the only one who didn’t want him to make that impulsive decision to jump to the pros. His mother, Lucille O’Neal, was also not keen on the idea. Rather than argue and debate with her son, Lucille approached it differently.

O’Neal shared how his mom asked him to go with her to the grocery store one time. Once there, Lucille asked Shaq to balance her checkbook, something the 1991 UPI Player of the Year admitted he could not do.

“So we ride to the grocery store, and she tells me to balance her checkbook,” he recalled. “And I couldn’t, I couldn’t. And she says, baby, you can do whatever you want to do, but you’re not ready.”

It was a sign that O’Neal still had a lot to learn. It underscored the value of getting a good education. Shaq knew that had he insisted on doing it his way, he would eventually get in trouble.

Hence, “The Diesel” realized what his parents were trying to tell him. They could have used the money to get out of poverty. But the next question there was for how long?

O’Neal knew it was time to turn pro

O’Neal thus stayed with LSU and focused on playing college ball while also getting a good education. However, he became so dominant in the sport that he believed it was time for him to go to the next level.

Hence, he negotiated a new pact with his mom. He promised his mom that he would not abandon his education even if he made the early jump to the pros.

“He said, ‘I promise you, I’d go back and finish,’ and he did that,” Lucille shared.

O’Neal did not disappoint when he entered the league in 1992. He was picked up by the Orlando Magic, and the 7-foot-1 behemoth dominated on both ends of the court.

Given his star power, it wasn’t surprising that Shaq racked up accolades one after the other. But through all that, he never forgot his promise and also focused on finishing his studies.

O’Neal officially earned his degree in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies. He would pursue higher studies, completing an MBA degree from the University of Phoenix in 2005 and a doctoral degree in education from Barry University in 2012.

One can just imagine the time and effort that Shaq put into getting all this done despite a hectic NBA schedule. It wasn’t easy, but “The Big Aristotle” showed that it could be done.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.