While accepting his master’s degree at Louisiana State University, the same college where he played basketball before starting his NBA career, Shaquille O’Neal took an opportunity to playfully troll his Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley.
The former LSU Tigers player was recently awarded his Master of Arts in Liberal Arts degree from the College of Human Sciences and Education, and when his name was announced to accept his degree, he was introduced with a different name: “Shaquille I Hate Charles Barkley O’Neal.” Clearly overjoyed they actually read his name out as such at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Shaq had a huge smile on his face as he accepted his degree.
Wave3 reported that Shaq’s thesis for his master’s degree was titled “Interdisciplinary Approach to Mentorship through the lens of the epic poem The Odyssey.” Taking inspiration from the epic Homer story, which is getting a big-screen adaptation from director Christopher Nolan later this year, his thesis is focused on mentorship for athletes.
Shaq has previously earned a Bachelor of General Studies from LSU, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a Doctorate in Education from Barry University.
The 54-year-old former NBA star has long held a playful rivalry with Barkley, with whom he hosts Inside the NBA, with both of them using any opportunity they can to poke fun at each other.
