{"id":6927,"date":"2026-10-17T10:01:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T10:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaultinsider.top\/?p=6927"},"modified":"2026-10-17T10:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T10:01:28","slug":"despite-a-500-million-net-worth-shaqs-on-his-5th-college-degree-and-says-hes-always-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vaultinsider.top\/?p=6927","title":{"rendered":"Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq’s on his 5th college degree\u2014and says he’s always learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s rare these days for a star college basketball player to stay in school for more than a year, let alone return to finish a degree after turning pro. But Shaquille O\u2019Neal has made a habit of doing just that.<\/p>\n

\n

The 7-foot-1 basketball legend spent three seasons at Louisiana State University before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He left without finishing his degree, but made a promise to his mother that he would eventually walk across the commencement stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since then, O\u2019Neal has followed through\u2014and then some. He now has four degrees to his name, including a bachelor\u2019s, an MBA, an Ed.D., and, most recently, a master\u2019s in liberal arts from LSU.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been curious,\u201d he told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cBasketball was my job, but I never wanted basketball to be the only thing I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, O\u2019Neal is back in the classroom once again, pursuing his fifth degree: a master\u2019s in criminology at Sacramento State University. It might be a surprising use of time for the 54-year-old with an estimated net worth of $500 million, but O\u2019Neal has never lost his appetite for learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I go back to school, I\u2019m challenging myself to learn something new,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mother always stressed education, and I\u2019ve always believed that once you earn that degree, nobody can take it away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaq says it\u2019s never too late to keep learning\u2014but he tells Gen Z you have to \u2018show up\u2019 to be successful<\/h2>\n

O\u2019Neal began his latest academic program this summer and plans to complete it in a hybrid format by fall 2027 or summer 2028. He\u2019s currently taking a course called \u201cCritical Analysis of Law & Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

His interest in criminology dates back decades. Beginning in the late 1990s, O\u2019Neal has worked part-time with several police departments and even became a reserve officer in both Los Angeles and Miami. Last month, FBI Director Kash Patel named him an honorary FBI special agent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like showing my kids that you\u2019re never too old, too successful, or too busy to keep learning,\u201d O\u2019Neal said.<\/p>\n

Sacramento State also has a personal connection: his son Shaqir transferred to the university last year to play basketball. The elder O\u2019Neal joined the program himself as its general manager in an unpaid, voluntary role, The Athletic<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n

But O\u2019Neal, who is also currently touring college campuses to teach personal finance, sees college as more than a path to a diploma. It\u2019s an opportunity to learn broader lessons that extend well beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollege isn\u2019t just about what you learn in a textbook. You learn how to show up. You learn discipline. You learn how to work with people who don\u2019t think like you. You learn how to finish what you started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But with AI reshaping the college experience\u2014and the jobs available after graduating\u2014O\u2019Neal acknowledged the growing anxiety many young people face. <\/p>\n

However, he encouraged them to embrace the fact that much of the positive return on investment comes from the real-world experience and face-to-face interactions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI can give you information, and I use technology just like everybody else, but it can\u2019t replace experience,\u201d O\u2019Neal said. \u201cIt can\u2019t replace sitting across from somebody who knows more than you and asking questions. To me, that\u2019s still valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Stephen Curry to Oprah Winfrey, going back to college is never too late<\/h2>\n

While O\u2019Neal is an outlier in seeking nearly half a dozen degrees, he\u2019s not the only person to have returned to the classroom after hitting fame and success.<\/p>\n

Thirteen years after leaving Davidson College to enter the NBA, Stephen Curry completed his bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology in 2022. Finishing school was a personal goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I left campus, it was a goal to finish,\u201d he said in 2022. \u201cJust as obviously a sense of accomplishment, but a promise I made to my mom and Coach McKillop when I left after my junior year, so it\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning to school also gave him a new perspective on his career. Through his sociology coursework, Curry said he was able to examine how athletes use their platforms and financial resources to promote gender equity.<\/p>\n

Billionaire Oprah Winfrey also returned to finish what she started. She left Tennessee State University in 1975\u2014just one credit short of graduating\u2014to get a jumpstart on her career in TV. Years later, in 1987, after she had gained fame with her namesake talk show, she turned in her final paper to complete her degree.<\/p>\n

For Winfrey, the experience reflected a broader lesson: Learning doesn\u2019t end with a diploma or follow a fixed timeline. Speaking to Stanford graduates in 2008, she encouraged them to treat even their biggest setbacks as opportunities for growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, ask every failure\u2014this is what I do with every failure, every crisis, every difficult time\u2014I say, what is this here to teach me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, she believes success isn\u2019t a destination reached by a certain age or milestone. Instead, Winfrey said in 2019: \u201cSuccess is a process.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#million #net #worth #Shaqs #5th #college #degreeand #hes #learning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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