Always willing to talk about any subject no matter how sophisticated, Shaquille O’Neal’s lifelong love of philosophizing has manifested itself into a doctorate degree. The Big Aristotle spent four-and-a-half years working on Ed. D. in Human Resource Development at Barry University, and yesterday, he finally received his diploma in a ceremony alongside his fellow graduates at the Miami-based university.
Guaranteed to be the number one pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, Shaq left LSU a year before he would have graduated. His mother made him promise to continue taking classes during the summer to receive his diploma, and despite making hundreds of millions of dollars, the Big Aristotle did. He graduated from LSU in 2000. A couple of years later, he decided an undergraduate wasn’t enough, and he began taking classes through the University of Phoenix to get his masters. Once that was accomplished, it was on to Barry.
Now that he’s officially more educated than an overwhelming majority of the population, it’s unclear what Shaq’s next move might be, but according to TMZ, he’s considering taking the LSATs and going to law school. That goal might require him to quit working on television, but if that’s where his heart lies, it’s not like he needs the steady paycheck.
Pop Blend’s sincerest congratulations go out to O’Neal for an accomplishment well-earned. It’s easy to talk about wanting to better yourself, but I’m sure staying motivated and writing papers while all his teammates did whatever they wanted was really difficult. Something tells me it was all worth it now.
