Shaq Joins Sacramento State’s Basketball Team as GM

Top professional athletes across basketball and football are joining collegiate athletic programs… as general managers.

Why It Scores: College sports have been big for a while, but the leagues are exploding even more in popularity in recent years, thanks to NIL deals, skyrocketing broadcast rights, and of course, the greatness of the athletes themselves. Joining as GMs gives the pros the ability to give back to the programs they love and another playing field on which to compete.

Behind the Plays: The front office of university sports programs is starting to look like an all-star team.

• NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal joined Sacramento State University’s men’s basketball team — which his son, Shaqir, plays on — as GM.
• Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry did the same for his alma mater, Davidson College, in North Carolina.
• Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young became the assistant GM for the men’s team at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.
• Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck became the GM for the football team at his alma mater, Stanford University.

Last Down: The pro-athlete-to-GM pipeline is starting to look like the most high-stakes form of “the cool dad decides to coach Little League” paradigm. Shaq said in a statement that he sees his role as “preparing these student-athletes for life on and off the court.” Meanwhile, Curry is also helping build an eight-figure fund for the men’s and women’s teams, while Young donated a million dollars to his program.

Soon, prospective college athletes may consider who the GM is when deciding which school’s program to commit to.