Shaquille O’Neal is pursuing a master’s in criminology at Sacramento State University, adding a fifth qualification to an academic record that already includes a bachelor’s degree, an MBA, an education doctorate, and a master’s in liberal arts. Despite an estimated net worth of $500 million, the 54-year-old basketball legend continues to view education as a personal challenge. Having started the program in summer 2026, he plans to complete it through a combination of online and in-person study by fall 2027 or summer 2028.
His commitment dates back to a promise to his mother. After three seasons at Louisiana State University, O’Neal left without graduating and became the first overall selection in the 1992 NBA draft. He subsequently fulfilled his promise to finish college. His current subject also reflects a longstanding interest: since the late 1990s, he has worked part-time with several police departments, including service as a reserve officer in Los Angeles and Miami. Sacramento State has a family connection, too: his son Shaqir transferred there to play basketball, while O’Neal became the team’s unpaid general manager.
O’Neal wants his children to understand that neither age nor professional achievement should end their education. He also argues that college cultivates discipline, collaboration, and persistence beyond textbook knowledge. While acknowledging young people’s anxiety as artificial intelligence changes education and employment, he distinguishes access to information from experience. Technology, which he uses himself, cannot substitute for practical learning or the opportunity to question someone more knowledgeable in a face-to-face conversation.
