Like most NBA players, Shaq found early success at college, spending three seasons with the Louisiana State Tigers. It set his career in very good stead, leading to his status as the number one NBA draft pick of 1992, and earning him an eventual induction into the LSU hall of fame. There's even a bronze statue of O'Neal on campus, standing outside the basketball practice facility. A lesser known fact, however, is that Shaq also excelled in the classroom, enjoying the highest grade point average on the team in his freshman year. It's not something one would automatically associate with O'Neal, who seems more class clown than bookworm, but serves as proof of the intelligence and dedication which would see him last so long at the highest level.
