Shaquille O'Neal to join Mike Bibby's staff at Sacramento State as voluntary general manager
Mike Bibby was hired at Sacramento State earlier this year in what will be his first coaching job at the college level
Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shaqir O'Neal, is set to transfer into Sac State, too. ()
Shaquille O'Neal is following his son to college.
Shaq has agreed to become the general manager of the men's basketball program at Sacramento State, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday night. The roll will be a voluntary one for Shaq.
Shaquille O'Neal has agreed to become the men's basketball general manager of Sacramento State, sources tell ESPN. It will be a voluntary role for Shaq, whose son, Shaqir O'Neal, also plays for Sac State under Mike Bibby. Shaq and Bibby form a star duo as college GM and coach. pic.twitter.com/3F2NQBbhf7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 29, 2025
Shaq will join Mike Bibby, who was hired as the program's next head coach earlier this year, at Sac State. Bibby, who spent half of his NBA career playing for the Sacramento Kings, will take over in what will be his first college head coaching job. He recently helped lead his former high school in Arizona to five state titles.
Bibby and Shaq will attempt to turn the Hornets program around. The school is set to open a new basketball facility on campus next fall, though the Hornets have had just two winning seasons since they started playing in 1991. They have yet to make the NCAA tournament, and Bibby will be the fifth head coach in the last six seasons.
Shaq's son, Shaqir O'Neal, has committed to play for Bibby next year. Shaqir spent last season at Florida A&M, where he averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The 21-year-old spent three seasons at Texas Southern before that, too.
Then on Tuesday, the Hornets landed UCF transfer and former high school star Mikey Williams, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Williams was a social media sensation throughout high school and landed a massive endorsement deal from Puma, but he largely fell off after facing a legal battle following a shooting at his San Diego home in 2023. He later reached a plea deal. He averaged 5.1 points while playing 14 minutes per game last season at UCF.
Bibby and Shaq never played with each other in the league, though they squared off plenty of times throughout their careers. Shaq is the latest NBA player to agree to work as a general manager at the college level. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be the assistant general manager at Davidson, and Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is doing the same at Oklahoma.
Shaq played in the league from 1992-2011. The Hall of Famer is currently working as an analyst at TNT on "Inside the NBA."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
18 minutes ago
- Newsweek
MLB Could Limit Playoff Viewers With Apple TV+ Deal: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Major League Baseball is enjoying strong growth this year, though a major aspect of the near future is in doubt. After ESPN announced it would be ending its partnership with MLB three years early, questions about how commissioner Rob Manfred would make up that revenue going forward have risen. "Major League Baseball is off to its best start in years," according to Lucas Shaw and Hannah Miller of Bloomberg, who reported that ESPN, TBS and Fox are all enjoying double-digit viewership lifts this year, while game attendance hit a seven-year high in 2024. "And yet, the league is scrambling to find a buyer for a major TV package that includes 30 regular season games, the Home Run Derby, the Wild Card playoff round and up to 10 spring training games." Without ESPN, MLB is left to scramble for a new partner to broadcast some of its most popular events, particularly the wild card playoff round. And it might have found that new partner in a broadcaster whose reach is not nearly as wide as ESPN's. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Rob Manfred, Commissioner, Major League Baseball speaks onstage during the Growing the Game panel, at the Fortune Global Forum on November 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Rob Manfred, Commissioner, Major League Baseball speaks onstage during the Growing the Game panel, at the Fortune Global Forum on November 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Fortune Media) More Countess/Getty "Major League Baseball is close to announcing a new TV deal for the package that ESPN opted out of from 2026-2028, and a source indicates that Apple TV+ is currently the highest bidder," per Boston Red Sox reporter Sean McAdam of MassLive. "Baseball is, like most sports, out to make a deal for the most revenue possible, but if MLB puts an entire round of its postseason on a streaming service with just 45 million subscribers, it deserves all the grief it's going to catch." MLB and Apple TV+ recently partnered on a "Friday Night Baseball" package that gives the streamer exclusive rights to high-profile matchups each week. Those broadcasts can frustrate fans of the involved teams as they require a subscription to watch. But as Manfred seeks a profitable replacement for ESPN, he seems likely to move the package to whichever partner makes the highest offer. Soon, that could mean some of baseball fans' favorite moments will require a new subscription. More MLB: Phillies 'Bench Bat' Becomes One of Team's Best Pitchers Amid Downward Skid
New York Post
25 minutes ago
- New York Post
Mike Breen shares emotional Lisa Salters message during ESPN reporter's NBA Finals absence
Mike Breen shared a heartfelt message Sunday to his ESPN colleague, top sideline reporter Lisa Salters, who missed Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers to tend to her ailing mother. Moments after sideline reporter Jorge Sedano provided commentary on the second half of the game, with Oklahoma City leading 59-41 in the third, Breen detailed why Sedano was filling in for Salters, whom he described as 'the teammate everyone in our business should strive to have.' 'Jorge is with us today, but we're thinking of our dear friend and colleague, Lisa Salters,' began Breen, who is part of ESPN's top NBA booth that includes Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson. 'Lisa's mom has been dealing with some serious health issues for a while now, so we want to send our love to Lisa and her mom. Although we've never met her mom, we owe her a debt of gratitude for giving us the gift of Lisa Salters, who is the teammate everyone in our business should strive to have.' 5 Lisa Salters, here in December 2024, missed Game 2 of the NBA Finals in June 2025. Getty Images Prior to tipoff Sunday, reports emerged that Salters, 59, would miss Game 2 of the finals in Oklahoma City due to a personal matter. Fever head coach Stephanie White, who is Salters' partner, skipped Indiana's game on Saturday in Chicago amid a 'family emergency,' according to the Indy Star. 5 Mike Breen (r.) sent a heartfelt message to Lisa Salters during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images 5 Breen (r.), here were Richard Jefferson (l.) and Doris Burke (c.), delivered his remarks in the third quarter. NBAE via Getty Images Assistant coach Austin Kelly took over and guided the Fever to a 79-52 victory over the Sky, something Indiana forward DeWanna Bonner hoped her teammates would fight for on behalf of White. 'I really want to win for Steph, she's going through a tough time with her family right now,' Bonner told the Indy Star. 'We want to rally together and get this one for her, but it's also Austin's first time at the helm, so it's double-duty right now.' 5 Lisa Salters covered Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 5, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images 5 Lisa Salters' partner, Fever head coach Stephanie White (l.), missed the team's win over the Chicago Sky in June 2025. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images The Fever visit the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, while Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals shift to Indiana starting Wednesday. Salters, also a sideline correspondent on ESPN's 'Monday Night Football,' covered the Pacers' 111-110 Game 1 rally on Thursday in Oklahoma City. The Thunder stormed back in Game 2, 123-107, to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out'
Cory Sandhagen on Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 316 win: 'You've got to knock that guy out' Cory Sandhagen acknowledges that there's only one way he can dethrone UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) beat Sean O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in even more definitive fashion when he submitted him in their title-fight rematch, which headlined Saturday's UFC 316 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) reacted to Dvalishvili's win. "It was great – Merab did an awesome job," Sandhagen told ESPN on the UFC 316 headliner. "I kind of anticipated that Merab was even going to look better in this fight just when I was thinking about it a little more, and he did awesome. He got the finish, and I'm sure that that's what he was looking for, and I'm happy for him. Me and Merab have a really good rapport together, so I'm happy for him." Sandhagen, who's coming off a finish of Deiveson Figueiredo last month, was in attendance, and is expected to be next in line for Dvalishvili. "I was kind of surprised that O'Malley decided to move as much as he was," Sandhagen said. "That's a very tough thing to do against a guy that's going to press like that. When Merab decides to get aggressive, he gets aggressive, and I'm looking forward to tha. Merab is the best guy in the division. He's maybe one of the best guys in the UFC, and I want to take that guy out." With Dvalishvili on a 13-fight winning streak, Sandhagen says "The Machine" has to be stopped. "Yeah, you've got to knock that guy out," Sandhagen said. "That's it. You've just got to knock that guy out."
