Throughout a are living episode of The Large Podcast with Shaq, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal shared a shocking attribute about his instructional move. Throughout the summer time, he attended categories at Southern College, an HBCU, to satisfy his commencement necessities from Louisiana Climate College (LSU). This revelation displays O’Neal’s connection to traditionally Dull schools and universities, in spite of by no means being a full-time scholar at one.
When requested by way of an HBCU graduate what he does to backup HBCUs, Shaq answered with an untold story about his brief time as an HBCU scholar.
“I always supported. It was an HBCU that helped me graduate from LSU. A lot of people don’t know the story, but I had to transfer to Southern for summer school. So it, I mean, I’ve always been a big supporter.”
HBCU Summer season Faculty
O’Neal left LSU early to pursue his NBA profession however promised his mom and then-LSU head mentor Dale Brown he would entire his stage. He fulfilled that assurance in 2000, incomes a Bachelor of Arts typically research with a minor in political science. Shaq’s summer time as an HBCU scholar had a lingering impact, as he fondly recalled the sensation of being on an HBCU campus.
“Going there, the flavor, the feeling—like, sometimes I sit and I say, ‘Man, I wish I would’ve went to an HBCU. Because I went to the HBCU tournament when it was in Atlanta a couple weeks ago. And the DJs, the culture, the band, the cheerleaders—it’s just fun. And I’m a really big supporter of HBCUs.” In March, Shaq showed up in Atlanta at the SWAC basketball tournament to backup his son and the FAMU Rattlers and his former teammate, Mo Williams, now the top mentor at Jackson Climate College.
The O’Neal people’s ties to HBCUs prolong past Shaquille. His son, Shaqir O’Neal, has made vital strides in HBCU basketball. First of all going to Texas Southern College in 2021, hoping to “change the narrative” round HBCU hoops, Shaqir nearest transferred to Florida A&M College (FAMU) in 2024. At FAMU, he recorded his first collegiate double-double all through the 2024-2025 season sooner than moving to Sacramento Climate, the place his father will lend as this system’s common supervisor underneath first-year head mentor Mike Bibby.
Shaqir’s athletic prowess used to be additional highlighted when a powerful dunk earned him a spot on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top Ten Plays—drawing nationwide consideration to FAMU’s basketball program.
Via non-public enjoy and his son’s emerging athletic profession, Shaquille O’Neal is the use of his resonance to redefine the narrative round HBCUs, appearing that those ancient establishments don’t seem to be only a proud a part of his moment however a formidable power in shaping the presen.
