With the start of the NBA season now just days away, we’re kind of in a holding pattern for hoops-related stories and commentary. Of course the ShaqFu Radio blog marches on, no matter the season. Today, we’re dipping into the archives a bit for an older story of Shaq’s fondness for education. The story is new to us, so enjoy…
As we said, our man Shaq is huge (in more ways than one) when it comes to his lifestyle and his appreciation for education. He’s a big proponent of programs to help young people succeed in school and in life, and we’ve had stories here on the blog about how he’s “educated” his own kids about the importance of a good education.
All that education and experience has led O’Neal to be a highly successful businessman, even years after his NBA career ended. Of course he’s still involved with TV coverage of the game, but there’s a lot to be said for his business interests as well.
In an interview a while back, the big man talked about his frustrations early on in his business career. He says he wasn’t taken seriously in the world of high finance due to his lack of business education. That led him to return to school and earn a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA)… Pretty much the “gold standard” for higher-level business education.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
According to the interview with the online business and investing website Benzinga.com, Shaq says he noticed that during business meetings, people wouldn’t take him seriously. “I’d go into a meeting and they’d say, ‘Hello Shaq, how are you doing? … And then they would turn away and look at my lawyers, accountants and all those guys.” O’Neal told Benzinga what he recognized back then – that other business leaders didn’t think he understood business in general, or the terms they were using.
Of course as we know it’s never a good idea to tell Shaq what he can’t do or can’t figure out. He says a few experiences like the ones he remembered lit a fire under him. He decided that rather than just be the “athlete and spokesman” for a business, he would get the education needed to be a real part of big-money business decisions.
That led Shaq to signing up for online classes through the University of Phoenix, a school that does almost – but not one hundred percent – of its classes online. Still, there came a time when O’Neal says he wanted a real classroom experience.
As good as an idea as that was, University of Phoenix officials said they couldn’t do a live, in-person class for just one person, even if that one person was Shaq. So again, rather than accept defeat, Shaq stepped up to the challenge. He tells Benzinga that he personally paid for 15 of his friends to get their Masters alongside him. So they could all attend class together, of course!
We’ve had several posts here on the ShaqFu blog about O’Neal’s pursuit of higher education. After the MBA degree from the University of Phoenix, Shaq must have decided he enjoyed the experience. He later went on to earn a Ph.D. in Education from Barry University.
Shaq received his Ph.D. from Barry University in 2012
When asked about the additional classroom and study time, Shaq said he did it after hearing from his mother (also a huge education fan) that no one in their family had a doctorate. Shaq remembers telling his mother, “So, I’m like, I could be the first out of all the O’Neals to be a doctor? Okay, I’ll be back.”
With his busy career in business and TV, it did take O’Neal about five years to complete the degree, but he did it. So yes, when you meet him in person, you can officially call him “Doctor O’Neal.” Shaq has said that he wanted to show his kids the importance of education and that you can keep learning no matter where you are.
Check back on previous education-related posts on the ShaqFu Radio blog. You’ll see that Shaq has made it clear to his kids – several times over, in fact – that he isn’t just going to hand the fortune he’s created when inheritance time comes for the family. He’s made it clear that they’ll have to earn their share. One of the ways they can show their commitment to higher education is to get one – or maybe two! – college degrees of their own.