Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most adored celebrity athletes out there. From his inspirational journey building his $400 million net worth to his foray into comedy, which brought us his amazing partnership with Kevin Hart.
"To achieve greatness means to maximize your potential at the highest possible level, and the highest possible rate," the NBA legend told Thought Economics of his success. "I don't really consider myself the best, but the fact that people consider me the best I take as a great honor and as testament to the hard work and what I was able to achieve."
He added that although he's "not the best, I've never considered myself the best, you know. The fact that people think I was the best just shows that I'm a tireless worker, I never stopped working and never stopped believing." So it's no surprise when rumors of him having a Ph.D. started going around.
Does Shaq Really Have A Ph.D.?
Shaq doesn't have a Ph.D. despite what most fans believe. What he has is an Ed.D. which is also a doctorate degree. He received it in 2012 from Barry University Florida, right after his basketball career ended. "This is for my mother, who always stressed the importance of education," he said at that time.
"I am proud to have achieved a doctoral degree and wish to thank my professors and Barry University for helping make this dream a reality. I'm smart enough to know that, even at my tender age, my pursuit of education is never finished." The university also confirmed that the sports analyst had indeed put in the work for the degree.
"For the past four-and-half years, O'Neal pursued his doctoral degree in education while juggling the roles of athlete, student and entrepreneur," they said. "He completed the requirements of the doctoral program while adhering to the grueling NBA schedule prior to his retirement last year as well as fulfilling commitments in broadcasting and business."
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How Much Did Shaq Make From His NBA Career?
According to Yahoo! Finance, Shaq amassed a total of $292 million from his NBA contracts, then about $200 million in endorsements throughout his career. But at one point, his net worth almost plummeted after his divorce from his ex-wife, Shauna.
Luckily, since their divorce proceedings took place in Florida, the latter wasn't legally entitled to half of the entrepreneur's wealth. She would have if it was processed in California. Shaq was then ordered to pay $10,000 for each of their four kids every month (until they're 18), plus another $10,000 in alimony.
The retired basketball player has notably taken the blame for the failure of his marriage to Shaun. "I was a d--khead," he told People of his infidelity in November 2022. "You don't know how good you got something till it's gone. "And guess what? It's your fault. I was living the good life."
He even admitted to feeling so low, "losing the privilege of having … joy," after his house — which used to have "full of noise and relatives" — had gone silent all of a sudden." He recalled: "Second day. Third day. Fourth day… forever. The silence starts to get to you."
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How Does Shaq Spend His $400 Million Net Worth?
Shaq has always spoken about being a provider to his eight children with four ex-wives. In a recent interview with the It's Non-Negotiable Podcast, he said that it's "a man's job" to "protect, provide, and love" all of them, hence his non-stop hustle.
Shaq also likes to give back to his community, and not just by writing cheques to charity. "I like to be hands-on. I like to do stuff myself," he said. "I like to go-in and be like, 'oh you need that? I’ll take care of it…' and I take care of it myself"
He added: "I don't usually write cheques and walk away. I like to go and say, 'okay, the school needs a new gym? The teachers and kids don't have laptops for their online schooling? The gym doesn’t have a weights room?' I'll take care of it – I'll use my contacts book and get it done."
It's the legacy he wants to leave behind him. "I just want people to say Shaq was a nice guy," he reflected. "With social media, Google, Bing and all that- people know what I've done, what I haven't done, how much I've made, and how much I've lost. That's not important."
He noted: "I want them to say, 'hey, I met Shaq at the CVS by himself, no entourage, he was the nicest guy…' or 'hey, I met Shaq, my grandmother needed a wheelchair and Shaq found out about it and the next thing I know a wheelchair showed up at my house…'"
