Agassi Inspires Shaq

NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal wants to open a charter school similar to the Andre Agassi College Preperatory Academy. This is wonderful news! From Indystar.com:

Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal and his wife, Shaunie, like to give back to the community, serving "Shaqsgiving" meals to the poor; handing out toys for his Shaq-A-Claus event; collecting donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

But the couple's long-term charitable focus is their Real Models Foundation. Formed in Los Angeles in 2003 and named for a signature Shaquille expression -- "He says he's a real model, not a role model," Shaunie said -- the foundation wants to create a more lasting legacy for South Florida children.

"Our ultimate goal with Real Models is to open a school, and I would love to do it here in Miami, open up a charter school," Shaunie O'Neal said. "So one day that's going to happen, the sooner the better."

A charter school is a public school that receives state funding but is free of most regulations. Shaunie O'Neal said the Real Models Foundation typically focuses on organizations that help homeless women and children. The school is their "ultimate goal," however.

The couple will probably follow the model of tennis star Andre Agassi, whose agent, Perry Rogers, is also O'Neal's agent. The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school, opened in 2001 in an economically depressed area in West Las Vegas.

Agassi's foundation raised $20million for construction of the school, which opened for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in 2001. A middle school opened in 2003. A high school and gymnasium are expected to open next year.