Shaquille O'neal Fourth Degree as LSU Awards Him Master of Arts
Shaquille O'neal fourth degree became real earlier this week when Shaquille O'Neal earned a master of arts in liberal arts from Louisiana State University. The 54-year-old also addressed LSU graduates at commencement, turning a personal academic milestone into a public lesson for the class.
LSU and Shaquille O'Neal
O'Neal now holds four college degrees, a rare continuation of study for someone whose name is usually attached to basketball and business. He said the new degree was tied to learning more about sports psychology leadership, which gives the announcement more weight than a ceremonial lap around campus.
His path back to Baton Rouge stretched across decades. He enrolled at LSU before declaring for the 1992 NBA draft, went first overall to the Orlando Magic, then returned while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers to finish a bachelor’s degree in general studies in 2000.
He kept going after that. O'Neal completed an online MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2005 and graduated with a doctorate in education from Barry University in Miami in 2012, with that doctorate focused on organizational learning and leadership.
Commencement remarks at LSU
During the ceremony earlier this week, O'Neal told graduates, “Never stop learning.” He added, “Your character will take you further than your resume,” then pressed the class to “Continue to be kind. Continue to be humble. Continue to help those in need.”
He also told them, “I’m proud of you all today, but this is not the end of your journey. Make sure you continue to strive, continue to learn, continue to have fun.” The advice fits a man who, at 54 and with roughly $500 million to his name, still chose another degree instead of treating earlier success as the finish line.
What the LSU degree adds
The new LSU credential matters because it adds a fourth academic chapter to a resume already built on a No. 1 overall pick, an MBA, and a doctorate. O'Neal’s mix of campus return and commencement remarks also gave LSU a celebrity speaker whose message matched the diploma he just earned, not just the stage he stood on.
For anyone tracking the practical takeaway, the change is simple: O'Neal left LSU not only with another degree, but with a public pitch for persistence that came from someone who could have stopped decades ago. That makes this less like a nostalgia note and more like a reminder that the last line on a resume does not have to be the last line in a career.
