When Shaquille O’Neal shows up to a business meeting, he expects to be taken seriously. But that wasn’t always the case. The NBA Hall of Famer has said over the years that even after making millions and achieving global fame, some people still dismissed him when deals were being discussed.
“They would say, ‘Hey Shaq, how you doing?’ and then they talked to my guy,” he said in a 2015 interview with journalist Graham Bensinger. “I found that to be disrespectful.”
Shaq Returned To School For Himself, His Mom And His Future
O’Neal, who left Louisiana State University early to enter the NBA in 1992, eventually went back to earn his bachelor’s degree in 2000. “Let me do this for my mom,” he said, because she kept calling him every week, saying, “You promised me you'd go back to school.”
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But he didn't stop there. Determined to be more involved in his business affairs, Shaq enrolled at the University of Phoenix for an MBA. The program was mostly online, but O’Neal wanted something different.
“I said, ‘I don't want to do it online. I want somebody to teach me in a class.’ They said, ‘We can't just set up a classroom for one guy.’ So I paid for 15 of my friends to get their master's too,” he said during a 2022 interview on the “Be Better Off Show.”
That MBA wasn't just for appearances. It was a signal to everyone in the room: Shaq understood the details. “Now you talk to me and I’ll relate the information to my agent. Don’t even look at him,” he told Bensinger about future business meetings. “You talk to me now about the terms, the [joint venture], all that stuff.”
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Building A Life After Basketball
O’Neal has spoken openly about the financial risks that come with life after pro sports. Shaq has said that fear of losing what he had built for his family was a major motivation to get his finances in order and educate himself. He often points to the house he bought for his mother as something he couldn't risk losing. That fear pushed him to learn about financial literacy, vet investments carefully, and build teams of experts around him.
“Before you succeed, you must first learn to fail,” he said, explaining that he accepts risk but doesn’t tolerate repeat mistakes. His business model includes a five-stage process involving personal vetting, a panel of advisors, and legal checks before final decisions.
Shaq says his investment style leans on partnerships and joint ventures. “Could I have a shoe factory? Yes, but not going to have the infrastructure to fly back and forth to China and play basketball and do all the things,” he said. That’s why he partnered with Reebok in 1998 to launch his line of affordable basketball shoes.
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Degrees, Discipline And Doing More
He’s also passionate about education as a form of leadership. After earning his MBA in 2005 from the University of Phoenix, his mother nudged him again. “‘You know, we don’t have any doctors in the family.’ So I was like, Oh, here we go again. So I did it,” he recalled on the “Be Better Off Show.” So he went back to school once more, this time for a doctorate in education. His dissertation? “The Duality of Humor and Seriousness in Leadership Styles.”
“I'm 70% humorous, 30% serious,” Shaq said of his leadership approach. But you have to modulate based on who you’re around.
The drive to keep learning came from his upbringing. His drill sergeant stepfather raised him with discipline and persistence. “You're not allowed to quit,” he said.
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