Shaq earns master’s degree from LSU, trolls Charles Barkley at graduation ceremony

Shaquille O’Neal received a master’s degree from LSU on Saturday and took the opportunity to poke fun at his longtime frenemy Charles Barkley.

Before crossing the stage at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to pick up his diploma, the former LSU basketball player and four-time NBA champion was introduced by the emcee as “Shaquille ‘I Hate Charles Barkley’ O’Neal.”

O’Neal and Barkley had a famous brawl on the court during their time in the NBA but have since become friends and can be found ribbing each other as analysts on ‘Inside the NBA’ on ESPN. 

O’Neal earned his master’s degree from the College of Human Sciences and Education, where he wrote a thesis examining mentorship through the lens of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.”

In [a speech at Saturday’s ceremony](https://www.theadvocate.com/shaq-speaks-at-lsu-spring-commencement/html_bab18eb0-738b-4ca1-a311-95ee64b86a5e.html), O’Neal told graduates to “never stop learning” — and never stop buying his products. 

“Continue to strive, continue to learn, continue to have fun and continue to eat SHAQ-A-LICIOUS gummies at your local 7-Eleven,” O’Neal said.

For “all the old people,” O’Neal added, “Icy Hot… man up,” referring to his catchphrase for the over-the-counter topical pain relief medicine. 

He told graduates that before they can succeed, they must first learn how to fail. “In the words of the great Shaquille O’Neal,” he said, “use failure as motivation.”

He also implored graduates to be kind and humble and to stay curious about the world, sneaking in another jab at Barkley. 

“This is a weird world we live in. One day, Charles Barkley was fat. The next day, he’s skinny. I don’t know what happened, but this world is crazy,” he said. 

His final advice: “Celebrate how far you’ve come but keep striving for what’s ahead.”