Shaquille O’Neal Already Has 3 College Degrees, But He’s Adding Another As He Pursues A Master’s At Louisiana State University

Shaquille O'Neal Already Has 3 College Degrees, But He's Adding Another As He Pursues A Master’s At Louisiana State University

Although Shaquille O’Neal already boasts a couple of degrees, he’s in the process of earning another master’s degree.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the NBA champion obtained a bachelor’s degree in general studies in 2000, using his mother as a source of motivation.

“I left [college] my junior year, so I was only a few credits short. So I go back to school…and I’m loving it, but I’m hating it at the same time. But I’m like, ‘Just let me do it for my mom’”, the four-time NBA champion explained during an interview on the podcast “In-Depth with Graham Bensinger.”

O’Neal later pursued an MBA from the University of Phoenix, which primarily offers online classes, but this time, he paid for his friends to also obtain their master’s degrees so he could take courses in a classroom setting. In addition, he also holds a doctoral degree in education, which he earned in 2012 from Barry University.

Now, O’Neal is in school yet again. This time, he is looking to become a sports psychologist.

“I’m working on my masters of liberal arts right now at [Louisiana State University],” O’Neal said on NBC’s “Today” show. “This is no disrespect to sports psychologists, but if you haven’t been in certain situations, how can you help me out? I want to become a sports psychologist, and I want to be the first sports psychologist that’s available [in both academia and sports].

O’Neal is looking to take the lessons of his career into the classroom as a professor in business administration and mentorship. He shared his interest during a taping of “Inside The NBA.”

O’Neal added, “From now I would like to be addressed as Professor O’Neal because when I graduate in two years, I will leave you and become a college professor.”