BATON ROUGE — One of LSU's most celebrated alumni is returning to campus, this time as a member of the academic team.

Shaquille O'Neal says he is close to joining the LSU faculty as a professor.

O'Neal made the announcement on Inside the NBA, which he co-hosts. When asked by his co-hosts what his scholarly area of focus would be, "A class on mentorship," O'Neal said.

Tuesday’s announcement came just days after he returned to Baton Rouge to receive his second master's degree.

O'Neal has also served as a primary mentor and celebrity judge for student entrepreneurs on The Grind, an online business pitch competition and startup incubator hosted by online education company Campus.

Last July, O'Neal partnered with Campus to create the Shaq Scholars Program, which provides underserved students with full tuition coverage, laptops and direct mentorship from professionals in business and technology.