Shaquille O’Neal loves to troll fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, and he got another opportunity to do so during Louisiana State University’s graduation ceremony at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday. O’Neal asked for a little extra something to be added to his name before he made his way to the stage to collect his master’s degree.
“Shaquille ‘I hate Charles Barkley’ O’Neal,” the announcer said.
Shaq receives his Masters degree from LSU 🔥🎓
(via @TheBrandLSU) pic.twitter.com/VCvYFlvxM8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 16, 2026
The crowd in attendance erupted into cheers as the announcement was made. O’Neal had the widest smile imaginable and celebrated as he got on the stage.
O’Neal was receiving his Master’s of Liberal Arts here from the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. The 54-year-old is racking up these degrees like he racked up points during his 19-year NBA career.
O’Neal first got a Bachelor of Arts degree in general studies from LSU in 2000. He’d left college after three years to go to the NBA in 1992 and had promised his parents he’d eventually get his degree.
Then, a couple of years later, O’Neal decided he wanted to pursue an MBA at the University of Phoenix. He was frustrated at the time by potential business partners speaking to his more qualified associates than him in meetings. O’Neal was so determined to get his degree offline that he paid for 15 of his friends to open up a class at the university. He’d get his hands on it in 2005.
That would be enough education for most, but not O’Neal. In 2012, he got his doctoral degree in education from Barry University.
It would have been very easy for O’Neal not to bother with any of this. Parents want their children who have aspirations of going to the NBA to have a degree as a backup plan. It became abundantly clear very early on in O’Neal’s career that he didn’t need a backup. He was going to go down as one of the greatest players in history.
O’Neal’s dominance on the court led to him making $286 million in salaries in the NBA, according to Spotrac. He was set for life, whether he got all those degrees or not, so it’s commendable that he put in all that effort.
O’Neal has wanted his children to follow in his footsteps, too. He revealed they got upset when he told them that they would need to have three degrees to touch his wealth. O’Neal has also made it clear that the men his daughters bring to their house must have a master’s degree. This is certainly a man very particular about education.
All that education and business savvy has led to O’Neal having a $500 million net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He is a great example for young athletes to follow.
