Caps off, legacies on. But first…a celebration!

This week, the sports world momentarily traded jerseys for graduation gowns as a new class of athletes officially leveled up. From Shaquille O’Neal celebrating another academic milestone to his son Shaqir O’Neal, WNBAstar Flau’jae Johnson, Las Vegas Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza, and Las Vegas Aces star NaLyssa Smith, it wasn’t just about degrees, but also about discipline, growth, and redefining what success looks like beyond the game. 

Shaquille O’Neal And His Son Shaqir Earned College Degrees In The Same Week

The O’Neal household has two more degrees to hang on the wall after both Shaquille and his son, Shaqir, received college degrees in the same week.

Shaquille recently received his second degree from Louisiana State University, earning a Master’s of Arts in liberal arts from the College of Human Sciences and Education. The same week, Shaqir graduated from Sacramento State.

Shaqir took to Instagram to share his big milestone.

“8 out. Thank god for allowing me to graduate school has always been hard for me but thanks to my parents and family they helped me get through it all the way and finally finish,” he wrote in his caption. “Thank you to @parkcenturyschool@missashleyeharding for teaching me everything and @shaq @iamshaunie for providing the best life and education I could ever imagine. 2nd degree otw!”

Shaquille O’Neal Gave The Commencement Speech At LSU

After receiving his degree, Shaquille delivered the LSU commencement speech. Being Shaq, he of course included uplifting words, a little self-promotion and lots of humor in his speech.

“I’m proud of you all today, but this is not the end of your journey,” he said after sharing some jokes and positivity. “Make sure to continue to strive, continue to learn, continue to have fun, and continue to eat Shaq-A-Licious gummies at your local 7-Eleven and all the other stores.”

He also told the crowd that “in order to succeed, you must learn to fail,” and reminded people to “continue to be kind and continue to be humble,” before bringing his friend Charles Barkley into the chat.

Before closing his 3-minute speech, he had the crowd all say together, “We did it!” and reminded everyone that LSU stands for “Love, Shaq, University.”

WNBA Star Flau’jae Johnson Also Graduated From LSU This Week

In addition to Shaq’s moment at LSU, WNBA star Flau’jae Johnson also had her moment on the same day.

Flau’jae was drafted No. 8 overall by Seattle Storm, after having a storied collegiate career. She won a National Championship alongside Angel Reese and became one of the top NIL earners while in school.

In addition to basketball, Flau’jae has a resume a mile long that includes competing on “America’s Got Talent” at the young age of 13, winning the reality competition, “The Rap Game,” working on deals with big, well-known brands, and so much more. Now she adds a college degree to that impressive list that’s sure to only grow in the coming years.

Las Vegas Aces Star NaLyssa Smith Graduated From Baylor

NaLyssa Smith, who plays for the Las Vegas Aces, graduated from Baylor last week. She left school four years ago to play in the WNBA so this was a long time coming for the Aces star. While it’s not completely unheard of for a rookie to miss graduation to play in the league, it’s not often that one gets to go back to receive her degree years later, so this was a special moment for Smith.

Smith played at Baylor from 2018-2022 and won a national championship in 2019. When she left school, she was a few classes short from getting her degree in health and kinesiology, according to the AP.

She told the AP last week, “It means everything to me. It was something my parents were really big on and my grandma before she passed away, she really want me to graduation, so it was something I knew I had to do.”

Another Vegas Sports Team Also Has A Recent Graduate

Another Vegas sports team has a new graduate, too! The Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback that everyone’s talking about, Fernando Mendoza, received his undergraduate degree from Cal last week, and walked during the commencement ceremony.

The 22-year-old Raiders rookie spent his first three college seasons at Cal before transferring to Indiana, according to Bleacher Report.

Mendoza was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Raiders fans are excited to see him in action this upcoming season.

Congrats to all the 2026 graduates!

The A New Class Rises: A Wave Of Sports Stars Quietly Graduated This Week first appeared on The Blast