Shaquille O’Neal and Flau’jae Johnson are the latest hoopers to walk across the stage to receive their degrees from their alma mater LSU.
For Shaq, his recent honors marked the second degree he’s received from LSU as he took home his Bachelor’s degree during a ceremony in 2000. That same night he became the fourth player in the school’s history to have his jersey retired. In 2011, LSU honored O’Neal with a statue inside of, what is now called, the basketball statue plaza. According to LSU Sports, Shaq finished his collegiate career at LSU after three seasons and remains to this day as the No. 5 all-time scorer at the school (1,941 points) and No. 2 in rebounds (1,217).
Shaq is always an advocate for education as he’s made higher education a goal for himself despite the multimillions of dollars he’s made as both a businessman and an athlete. He holds a Doctoral degree from Barry University in organizational learning and leadership with a specialization in HR development as well as another Master’s degree in education. Instead of settling for an honorary degree, O’Neal completed 54 credit hours spread across 16 courses, plus additional research, earning a cumulative GPA of 3.813. His coursework mixed in-person classes with remote learning through video platforms.
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Shaq wasn’t the only pro baller to earn their slam-dunk degree! Check out Flau’Jae Johnson’s graduation deets after the flip!
Flau’Jae Takes The Stage For Her LSU Graduation
Flau’jae and Shaq now have more in common than both being stellar athletes, beloved by LSU fans and having rap careers alongside being in the WNBA and NBA respectively. The women’s basketball star also walked across the stage to receive her degree ahead of playing in her first WNBA season for the Seattle Storm. After a storied collegiate career, including taking home a National Championship alongside her teammate Angel Reese and being one of the top NIL earners, Johnson made her W dreams come true as she was drafted No.8 overall by the Storm.
Flau’jae racked up accomplishments and accolades long before her big night heading to the W. She competed on America’s Got Talent at age 13, won Jermaine Dupri’s reality competition The Rap Game, signed to Roc Nation in 2024 and had deals with everyone from PUMA to Powerade allowing her to purchase land and housing for herself and the homeless community in Louisiana. She would prove critics wrong time and time again as her commitment to basketball was questioned due to her business prowess and ability to take advantage of the NIL rules.
“Take 100% advantage of NIL,” she said during an interview. “You only get four years. Those four years could set you up for the next 40 years. Be smart with it and use it to your advantage. I feel like these colleges for the past 100 of years have been using athletes. Athletes have been giving blood, sweat and tears with nothing in return. Now, it’s about time.”
Flau’jae always makes sure to thank her mother, Kia Brooks, who also serves as her manager. After being drafted, she penned a thank you the woman she says made it all possible.
“Thank You For Believing In Me. Thank You For Sacrificing For Me. Thank You For Giving Me Amazing Siblings. Thank You For Never Giving Up On Me. Thank You For Always Reminding Me I’m Beautiful. Thank You For The Life You Gave Me And The Love That Came With It.
I Love You Mom, You’re The Most Amazing Person On The Planet. Your Work Ethic Makes Mine Look Light. I Love You In Real Life.”
