Shaquille O’Neal has a unique talent. He can make the most bizarre thing into something funny and inspiring. Whether it’s his odd pranks or wholesome gestures towards random people, there’s always a Shaq twist in everything he does.

Recently, in his interview with Campus Culture, the legend shared a story about how a nerd once saved his life. The Lakers champ shared that back in high school, he had a classmate named McDougal who used to get bullied and beaten a lot by the other students. The constant bullying of his classmates bothered him, and, in the end, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The Big Aristotle simply asked the bullies to mess with him before they got to McDougal. The champ was already 7 feet and had a formidable appearance. Needless to mention, they didn’t bother him again. 

O’Neal shared, “In high school, a geek saved my life.” He further added, “There was this guy everybody used to bully him, kept beating this kid. So I told homies anybody touches Mcdougal you going to have problems with me.”

However, what went down after that was heartwarming. The Los Angeles Lakers legend shared that his timid nerd friend helped him study in exchange for the sweet gesture. While the legend is now talented in whatever he does, back then the champ couldn’t focus on his studies and scored 69 on one of his exams. However, following some good tutoring from his new friend, the champ leveled up and scored 80 in his exams. 

“For the first time when I took the test I made it 80 I felt smart, so ever since that I was like I want to be smart,” said O’Neal.

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O’Neal kept his promise to his mother

More than anything, the nerdy student gave a new meaning and purpose to his life. While O’Neal’s destination was indeed set toward making an incredible life in the NBA, he never sacrificed his education for that. He even had to leave LSU to get into the NBA draft. However, during that time, he promised his parents that he would complete his education. 

Keeping his promise to his mother Lucille O’Neal, the Lakers legend went back to LSU to complete his graduation. Following that, he achieved his MBA degree in 2005 and then his Ph.D. O’Neal’s educational journey is truly inspirational. And every time the Big Man of the league pulls out a story from his past, we grow fonder of the basketball star. What are your thoughts on this facet of the Lakers legend? Let us know in the comments section below.

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