Shaquille O’Neal is adding to his post-NBA resume.
According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, O’Neal — who is famously known as Shaq — is returning to the college ranks, as he has agreed to be the general manager for the Sacramento State men’s basketball program.
Per Charania, O’Neal will not be paid for his services to the four-time NBA Finals champion and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, as it is an unpaid, voluntary role.
The decision for O’Neal to become the first general manager for first-year coach Mike Bibby also will allow him to be around his son, Shaqir O’Neal, who transferred to Sacramento State from Florida State last month.
In a world where Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) has taken over college athletics, the three-time NBA Finals MVP and 15-time NBA All-Star joins Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young as prominent NBA figures to take on a general manager role at the college level. Both Curry and Young accepted assistant general manager roles at their alma maters, Davidson and Oklahoma, respectively.
O’Neal, who also serves as an analyst on TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA, was drafted No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft out of LSU, where he was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and the 1991 National Player of the Year.
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