Back when I was in college, credit card providers were all over campus, offering T-shirts and swag to entice students to sign up for their cards. Today, they’re offering something much more valuable to young adults hoping to build their credit: solid financial advice. And who better to serve up a few words of wisdom than Shaquille O’Neal and Rob Gronkowski?
Last Friday (October 23, 2026), the four-time NBA champion and four-time Super Bowl champion brought an evening of credit education, interactive games, and a special surprise to 500 students at Atlanta’s Georgia State University as part of the Credit One Bank Credit Tip Off Tour.
Shaq stepped into his role as the “Credit Professor” alongside Credit One Bank CMO Michael Coleman, with Gronk joining the conversation to share his own perspective on credit education. The evening also included a generous surprise: Shaq and Credit One Bank gifted a total of $50,000 toward Georgia State University students’ tuition. And because no Shaq appearance would be complete without a little entertainment, the evening wrapped with the NBA legend trading the classroom for the DJ booth, closing out the event with a high-energy DJ Diesel set.
When asked about the motivation behind the tour, Coleman explained that access to credit without the proper education can leave young adults vulnerable to financial mistakes.
“A lot of institutions out there are all about giving access to credit. There’s a reason they do that, but without that education, a lot of people, especially at this age, especially in college, make mistakes. We’ve realized that without providing education with that access, you really don’t empower people.”
Rather than simply lecturing students on financial responsibility, Coleman wanted to make the subject more engaging and accessible.
“We wanted to create something where we could make these topics more fun and accessible, and that’s why we teamed up with folks like Shaq and Gronk to come out and tell their stories. I think they’re going to be willing to listen to them a little more than me, but we feel very passionately about it because we think it helps kids.”
Of course, Shaq and Gronk have had their own financial missteps along the way. When I asked Shaq what he spent too much money on when he was younger, his answer was refreshingly succinct.
“Buying cars. Even now I probably have way too many cars.”
So, what should college students know about maintaining healthy finances? Gronk kept his advice simple: pay your bills.
“You’ve got to pay your bills. If you want a high credit score, pay your bills. It’s just beneficial. It takes away the stress in your life as well, and if you got bills to pay and you can’t pay them, figure out a way to downsize in the way that you’re living your life.”
Shaq, meanwhile, encouraged students to start thinking about their futures before they find themselves in a financial bind.
“I would tell them to definitely start thinking about your future. A lot of times people are in the moment, and you need to be ahead of the moment. Like for me, when I was a kid, I already knew I wanted to be in the NBA. I already knew when I got some money, what businesses I wanted to own, what I wanted to do, how I wanted to be remembered, so I would tell them to just start thinking about this stuff now.
“And the main point I’m going to get across today is never miss a payment, because if you miss a payment, you’re going to have to start all over. And when you graduate and you’re trying to start a business, trying to get a job, you don’t want to have to start all over. You want to be able to go in there and they look at your credit score and say, ‘Hello, Mr. Johnson, you need a loan to start the business? Here’s your loan.’ You don’t want to have to go through all that rebuilding your credit score and doing all that because you’re just wasting time.”
Between Shaq’s hard-earned wisdom, Gronk’s straightforward advice and a $50,000 boost toward students’ tuition, the Credit One Bank Credit Tip Off Tour made one thing clear: building a strong financial future starts long before graduation. For more financial advice, follow Credit One Bank on Instagram.
