Apparently, being Shaquille O’Neal still leaves time for homework.
Between the basketball legacy, business ventures, entertainment appearances, and general responsibility of being Shaq, you might think his calendar had reached capacity. Surely there’s a point where someone politely suggests taking an afternoon off.
Instead, the Big Aristotle is adding another academic goal to the list. According to Fortune’s October 17 report, Shaq is pursuing a fifth degree at Sacramento State.
Five. At this rate, the diploma frames may eventually need their own room.
It’s a cheerful reminder that curiosity doesn’t come with an expiration date—or a rule saying you can stop once everybody recognizes your face. Shaq could spend the rest of his life answering questions about basketball. Choosing to keep learning gives him some questions of his own to ask.
And there’s something particularly likable about that.
We tend to associate accomplished people with having the answers. Returning to school means making room for the opposite: unfamiliar ideas, difficult material, and the occasional moment when you have to read a paragraph twice. Even a very famous student still has to learn something.
For those of us who have ever opened a course description, felt briefly ambitious, and then wandered off to make a snack, this is mildly inconvenient inspiration.
Shaq’s latest academic pursuit follows a milestone earlier this year. LSU confirmed that he returned to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in May to receive a master’s degree in liberal arts and address the Class of 2026.
The setting gave the occasion an especially nice connection to his past. He had left LSU for the NBA in 1992. Decades later, he was back in a familiar building with an achievement that called for a graduation gown.
That’s a satisfying addition to any sports story. The place where fans once celebrated his basketball talent became the backdrop for celebrating his academic work.
His message to the graduates suited the moment.
“Continue to be kind. Continue to be humble,” he said. “Celebrate how far you’ve come, but keep striving for what’s ahead.”
It’s advice with enough room for everybody, whether your next goal involves a degree, a new skill, or finally understanding the settings on an appliance you’ve owned for three years.
The appeal here goes beyond counting credentials. There’s something encouraging about watching someone keep making space to be a beginner. It makes learning feel like an ongoing part of life rather than a box you were supposed to check before adulthood got busy.
Of course, most of us won’t be pursuing degree number five. Some of us are currently pursuing the email confirming where we saved our old college transcript. Different starting points.
But the larger idea travels well: being good at one thing doesn’t have to settle the question of what else interests you.
For Shaq fans, this chapter offers another reason to enjoy following him beyond basketball. The ambitions keep expanding, and apparently the reading list does, too.
We can only hope the Big Aristotle has a comfortable study chair. Finding one that fits might be its own research project.
In the meantime, we’re happy to cheer for this particular goal. Shaq has plenty of accomplishments worth displaying. Seeing him make room for another challenge is a pretty good example to put alongside them.