Shaq becomes new GM for men’s basketball at Sacramento State

The Sacramento State men’s basketball team has scored another former NBA player to be a part of the team. This time it’s the former four-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal will become the Hornets’ general manager in an unpaid volunteer role. The hiring of O’Neal comes a month after Sac State named former Sacramento Kings player Mike Bibby as the 17th coach in the school's history. 

The Hornets’ basketball team was in need of a change after going 7-25, ending their season on a five-game losing streak and finishing last in the Big Sky Conference. 

O’Neal is considered one of the best big men to ever play in the NBA. He played for 19 seasons and retired in 2019, winning four championships, three consecutive with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2016.

Sac State Athletic Director Mark Orr said in an interview with CapRadio that O’Neal’s decision to become the new GM starts and ends with coach Bibby and his relationship with him over several years competing in the NBA.

“His presence, experience and leadership will elevate everything we’re building here, and that’s why I reached out to Shaq to get involved with the program,” Bibby said in a statement on X.

In the same statement on X, O’Neal said that he knows what it takes to build a winning culture.

“Coach Bibby, President Wood, and AD Mark Orr are putting something powerful together at Sacramento State, and I’m honored to be part of it. This is about more than banners and trophies, but preparing these student-athletes for life on and off the court.”

Before the announcement of O’Neal becoming GM, his son Shaquir recently transferred from Florida A&M to play for Coach Bibby and Sac State for the upcoming college basketball season. 

Orr said O’Neal’s role will primarily be to help with the mentorship of the student-athletes on the team and recruiting new student-athletes. 

“I'm excited for [O’Neal] to join, and his role will be plentiful,” Orr said. “I'm just so appreciative of Coach Bibby bringing him aboard and Shaq willing to support Sacramento State.”

GMs in college basketball are still a fairly new concept, with numerous programs starting to add NBA-like front offices. Most recently, Warriors guard Steph Curry became the assistant GM of his alma mater, Davidson. And former NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski retired from ESPN to become the first-ever GM at St. Bonaventure. 

Orr said that with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), student-athletes are looking for more opportunities to earn more income, including at Sac State. He said that with O’Neals' networks, connections, expertise, and business, it would be an “asset to the student-athletes in the NIL space.”

“We want to utilize Shaq's expertise to make our game day environment for basketball second to none,” Orr said. “So he'll spend some time there and then just in recruiting, obviously, having Shaquille O'Neal part of your staff, we think his presence will attract prospective students that want to play basketball for us here at Sacramento State.” 

Orr said there isn’t a timeframe for how long O’Neal will be in the role, but hopefully it’s long-term.

“I think it's an undefined timeframe from our end here at Sacramento State,” Orr said. “We'd love to have Shaq with us as long as he's willing, and my hope is for many years to come.”