Shaquille O'Neal's life was changed after he saved a nerd from bullies

Shaquille O'Neal is considered by many to be the most dominant force the basketball has ever seen. His combination of size, skill and mobility often left teams helpless in trying to defend the 7-foot-1 big man.

Shaq’s utter dominance in the NBA might not have even happened had it not been for the unlikely help of someone he could hardly remember:

“A geek saved my life. [I was] a junior in high school, right before the state tournament. I got a 68 [on one of my exams]. I got one test left. Everybody’s bullying this guy. He was cool. ... We called him McDougal. I wish, I wish I could remember his name.

“Everybody was messing with him. I came to them, I was like, ‘Listen, y’all mess with McDougal, you gotta mess with me. I didn’t really know him so I was sitting and he came to the lunch table and he’s like, ‘Man, appreciate it. I hear you having some problems in government. I could help you out.’

O'Neal added:

“I was like, ‘Are you gonna tutor me?’ So every day after school he tutored me. ... He helped me out and that’s when I realized nerds and geeks are very cool people."

Shaquille O'Neal was nearly 6-foot-10 entering his junior season at Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas. He was massive and towered everybody in the school. The son of Sgt. Phillip Harrison would not have any problem dealing with “McDougal’s” bullies.

The sight of Shaq and the nerd must have been something to see. Still, in what was an unlikely alliance that helped O’Neal led the school to a 68-1 record in his last two seasons with the school. He capped off his stint in San Antonio with a state championship.

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Shaquille O'Neal fulfilled his educational promises and more to his mother Lucille Harrison

After three years at LSU, Shaquille O'Neal took the NBA by storm in just his debut. He became the first rookie since a guy by the name of Michael Jordan made it to the All-Star team right out of college.

The Orlando Magic became one of the most exciting teams to watch simply because thousands of fans hadn’t seen him before. As fame and fortune took flight along with his career, he never forgot to fulfill the vow he made to his mother.

Shaquille O'Neal earned his bachelor’s degree from LSU nearly a decade after he left school. Lucille Harrison had this to say about her son’s accomplishment:

''I'm very proud of him. He made a promise to me, he set his goal and he achieved it.''

Shaquille O'Neal didn’t need the degree. He had already signed a then-record seven-year $121 million contract with the LA Lakers. Still, a promise was a promise and he had to live up to his words.

But Shaq wanted to do more for himself and his mother. 17 years after leaving his alma mater, he added a doctorate’s degree in education from Barry University in Miami to his resume.

Dr. O’Neal had come a long way from the physically-imposing junior high school basketball player who needed a nerd named “McDougal" to save him.