It's been 30 years since former Los Angeles Laker All-Star Nick Van Exel attended the University of Cincinnati. He didn't graduate back then, but it's never too late to finish the job. Van Exel posted a photo on Twitter Thursday on a plane heading to Cincinnati for graduation. He isn't the only former Lakers star who went back and graduated late, either.

Shaquille O'Neal finished his time at LSU back in 1989, but it wasn't until 11 years later in 2000 that he went back and graduated from the university. O'Neal will be proud to see Van Exel following in his foot steps.

Van Exel and O'Neal were teammates for the Lakers back in the 90s, and they had a lot of talent on those teams, including Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, they were never able to win a championship together before the two got separated. Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets, and O'Neal remained with the Lakers.

These two stars going back and finishing out their education sets a great example for today's young athletes. The best players in the game today are exiting college after one or two years, and some even skip college and go straight to the pros. Guys like Shaquille O'Neal and Nick Van Exel going back and finishing things off shows that it's never too late to get your education, and that it's a valuable thing to have.

We'll see if we get more examples of former stars going back to finish off their education. It would certainly be a good trend to see take place.