Shaquille O’Neal takes surprising career move, accepts GM role at Sacramento State

Sacramento State made a major splash by naming NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal as the new general manager of its men's basketball team. According to ESPN, O'Neal’s new role is voluntary and comes as part of a broader push to elevate the school’s athletic profile, especially after his son, Shaqir O'Neal, transferred from Florida A&M to join the Hornets under first-year head coach Mike Bibby.

Though unpaid, Shaquille O’Neal’s new position created a buzz. Sources told Front Office Sports that O’Neal will assist with player development, recruiting, NIL (name, image, likeness) efforts, and marketing. His involvement comes at a time when top athletes like Stephen Curry (Davidson) and Trae Young (Oklahoma) are also taking on college GM roles.
Dr. Luke Wood, Sacramento State’s president, praised the move, giving full credit to the school’s new coach: “(I) appreciate the vision and leadership of Coach Mike Bibby,” Wood wrote on X.

Shaquille O’Neal brings a wealth of experience to the role. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP, O'Neal was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He also has past ties to Sacramento, having served as a minority owner of the Kings from 2013 to 2022. Today, he’s a familiar face on TNT’s "Inside the NBA."
O’Neal’s partnership with Bibby, his former playoff rival from the heated 2002 Western Conference Finals, creates a fascinating dynamic. The two will now work together to steer a program that has struggled for decades. For context, Sacramento State has not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since moving up to Division I in 1991 and has only posted two winning seasons since then, the most recent coming in 2019-20.
For O'Neal, the new job also offers a rare personal connection as he is set to help shape the future of the program where his son now plays. As he works closely with Bibby, there’s hope that the Hornets can finally turn their fortunes around.
The university has filed an application to become an FBS independent in football, part of a long-term vision to elevate its entire athletic program.
As Shams Charania noted, “O'Neal will join first-year head coach Mike Bibby — a 14-year NBA veteran — as they look to help lead the Hornets to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.”
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With Shaquille O'Neal in the building, Sacramento State basketball just got a lot more interesting, and it would be interesting to see how the team would thrive under the guidance of the NBA legend.