Shaquille O’Neal added another milestone to his long relationship with Louisiana State University by earning his Master of Liberal Arts degree Saturday.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Shaquille O’Neal returned to Louisiana State University on Saturday to earn his Master of Liberal Arts degree and give a speech during the commencement ceremony.
Before he walked the stage, the 7-foot-1-inch man’s name was read aloud and got a dig in on one of his longtime friends.
“Shaquille ‘I hate Charles Barkley’ O’Neal,” the announcer read, which filled the stadium with laughter and cheers.
The two are friends and colleagues on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA.”
After his name was called, O’Neal danced his way to grabbing his degree, then took some photos with it.
He also made a speech at the commencement ceremony where he encourages students to “continue. Continue to strive, continue to learn, continue to have fun.”
He also plugged some of his products and took another shot at Barkley, garnering more laughs from the crowd.
“Stay curious and open-minded around the world around you. This is the only room where we live in,” he said. “One day, Charles Marshall was fat. The next day, he’s skinny. I don’t know what happened. This world is crazy.”
O’Neal earned the degree through LSU’s College of Humanities & Social Sciences, adding another academic milestone to his long relationship with the university, where he became one of the most celebrated players in school history.
The LSU basketball legend played for the Tigers from 1989 to 1992, then became the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
O’Neal remains one of the top players in LSU basketball history, ranking 5th all-time in scoring with 1,941 points and second in rebounds with 1,217. He was named Associated Press Player of the Year in 1991.
He graduated from LSU in December 2000 as LSU retired his jersey, making him the fourth player in program history to receive the honor at the time.
In 2011, LSU unveiled a statue of O’Neal outside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as part of the school’s basketball statue plaza.
Following his LSU career, O’Neal became one of the most dominant players in NBA history, winning multiple championships and later building a successful broadcasting and business career. He currently appears on TNT and ESPN basketball coverage programs.