Shaquille O'Neal recently was part of a big investment in a startup called Campus, which aims to help community college students finish their degree and go on to complete a bachelor's degree.
Along with other familiar names like OpenAI's Sam Altman and Discord's Jason Citron, O'Neal is part of a group of investors who have committed more than $29 million to the project.
Speaking with Fortune, O'Neal credited Amazon's executive chairman Jeff Bezos for inspiring him to invest in a project like Campus.
"I heard Jeff Bezos say, if you invest in things that's going to change people's lives, you'll always get a great return on your investment," O'Neal told Fortune. "But this particular investment is not about great return because I feel that everyone should have access to world-class education."
O'Neal added that higher education is "very, very important."
"The more you know, the more you can accomplish," he said.
On its website, Campus advertises that it can transfer into a four-year degree due to its regional accreditation. Additionally, the website advertises that students can earn a credential or an associate's degree, or start a business based on the knowledge and insight gained at the university. Campus offers live classes online, some of which are taught by professors who also teach at four-year programs.
O'Neal's messaging about higher education has been consistent. In 2000, O'Neal—who left LSU after three years to enter the NBA Draft—received his Bachelor of Arts degree in general studies, joking to reporters at the time that he "could be anything I want—I could take your job." He completed an MBA degree from the University of Phoenix in 2005, and he later graduated with a doctorate in education (Ed.D) from Barry University in Miami, focused on Human Resource Development.
In 2022, O'Neal described feeling disrespected in business meetings, which he said was the impetus for his decision to get his MBA.
"I noticed that every time I go to a business meeting, the guys we were doing deals with would be like, 'Hello Shaq, how you are doing?' And then they would turn away and look at my lawyers and my accountants and all those guys," O'Neal said. "So I said, 'Oh, you guys don't think I'm charge? You guys don't think I understand the lingo?'"
O'Neal wanted to attend the University of Phoenix in person, but the institution couldn't set up a class for just one person. So instead, O'Neal simply paid for 15 of his friends to get master's degrees as well.
Campus founder Tade Oyerinde told Newsweek by email that the company was thrilled to have O'Neal on board.
"We're really excited to have an investor like Shaq who brings tremendous passion and entrepreneurial energy to the work," Oyerinde said. "He has a deep personal conviction in the power of higher education, but he also acknowledges that colleges haven't always kept pace with the aspirations and realities of today's students—that we need a new way to go to college. That's what has attracted him to our work and mission. As an entrepreneur myself, I'm excited to also draw upon his successful track record as an investor and entrepreneur."
O'Neal compared Oyerinde to a famous former teammate.
"He's gonna be Kobe and I'm gonna be Shaq, and we are going to knock this thing out of the park," O'Neal told Fortune.
Update 2/3/24, 7:31 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Campus founder Tade Oyerinde.
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