4 minSociety
Shaquille O'Neal Pursues Fifth Degree at Sacramento State, Says AI Cannot Replace Face-to-Face Learning
Shaquille O'Neal, the basketball legend with an estimated $500 million net worth, is working toward a master's in criminology at Sacramento State University. He tells Gen Z that college teaches discipline and human connection, qualities he says AI cannot replace.
Shaquille O'Neal is back in the classroom. The basketball Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion is pursuing a master's degree in criminology at Sacramento State University, his fifth degree overall, even as his estimated net worth stands at $500 million.
O'Neal, 54, began the program this summer and plans to complete it in a hybrid format by fall 2027 or summer 2028. He is currently enrolled in a course titled «Critical Analysis of Law & Justice.» The pursuit extends a long academic record that already includes a bachelor's degree, an MBA, an Ed.D., and most recently a master's in liberal arts from Louisiana State University.
His interest in criminology is not new. Beginning in the late 1990s, O'Neal worked part-time with several police departments and became a reserve officer in Los Angeles and Miami. Last month, FBI Director Kash Patel named him an honorary FBI special agent.
O'Neal said his motivation is partly personal and partly generational. «I like showing my kids that you're never too old, too successful, or too busy to keep learning,» he said. He also credited his mother for instilling a commitment to education. «My mother always stressed education, and I've always believed that once you earn that degree, nobody can take it away from you.»
The Sacramento State connection runs deeper than academics. His son Shaqir transferred to the university last year to play basketball, and the elder O'Neal joined the program as its general manager in an unpaid, voluntary role. He is also touring college campuses to teach personal finance.
In his advice to Generation Z, O'Neal emphasized that the value of college extends beyond textbooks. «College isn't just about what you learn in a textbook. You learn how to show up. You learn discipline. You learn how to work with people who don't think like you. You learn how to finish what you started,» he said.
He acknowledged the anxiety many young people feel as artificial intelligence reshapes both higher education and the job market. But he urged students to recognize that much of the return on a degree comes from real-world experience and face-to-face interaction. «AI can give you information, and I use technology just like everybody else, but it can't replace experience,» O'Neal said. «It can't replace sitting across from somebody who knows more than you and asking questions. To me, that's still valuable.»
O'Neal is an outlier in accumulating nearly half a dozen degrees, but he is not alone in returning to school after achieving fame. Stephen Curry completed his bachelor's degree in sociology at Davidson College in 2022, 13 years after leaving to enter the NBA. «Since I left campus, it was a goal to finish,» Curry said at the time, describing the diploma as a promise he made to his mother and coach. Oprah Winfrey left Tennessee State University in 1975 one credit short of graduating, then completed her degree in 1987 after achieving fame with her talk show. She has since described success as a process rather than a destination.
For O'Neal, the classroom remains a place of challenge and curiosity. «Every time I go back to school, I'm challenging myself to learn something new,» he said. «Basketball was my job, but I never wanted basketball to be the only thing I knew.»
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