Jan 13, 2017 04:49 AM EST By Amanda Foster, UniversityHerald Reporter

Shaquille O'Neal may be a retired American professional basketball player but he is also a rapper, a sports analyst and an MBA holder. Which is why Shaq is selected as the keynote speaker for the upcoming 2017 Excellence in Leadership Lecture Series.

The lecture series is going to take place on April 5 at 7 p.m. in the O. Wayne Rollins Center, University of the Cumberlands. The lecture series is the 12th annual event sponsored by The Forcht Group of Kentucky.

As the keynote speaker, Shaquille O'Neal will be sharing his career and personal, inspirational stories, as reported by The News Journal. O'Neal studied business at Louisiana State University but left college early to pursue a career with the NBA. But after his professional sports career, he continued his higher education.

Although he is known for his professional NBA career and is one of the most influential athletes by Forbes, he is also an established businessman, as reported by the University of the Cumberlands. He has investments on Google and has his own personal brand. The event is also open to University of the Cumberlands's students of over 40 majors, 10 pre-professional programs and 10 graduate degrees.

O'Neal's attendance at the event is something Dr. Terry and Mrs. Marion Forcht is excited about. According to The Forcht Group Chairman, Terry Forcht, he looks forward to hearing Shaquille O'Neal's inspirational stories. University of the Cumberlands aims to provide resources that will help develop leadership skills, character building traits and good citizenship in its students.

Previous speakers at the event are Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson, Stephen Covey and many more. The event itself is free and tickets are available at the leadership program at the University of the Cumberland's official website. However, seats are limited which means tickets are on a first come, first served basis.

Watch the NBA clip below celebrating Shaquille O'Neal:

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