Shaquille O'Neal Trolls Charles Barkley While Graduating From LSU

Shaquille O’Neal originally attended LSU from 1989 to 1992 before the Orlando Magic made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft.

In the midst of winning a three-peat with the Los Angeles Lakers, a 28-year-old O’Neal returned to LSU to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies in December 2000.

At the time, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson told reporters, “Here he is, almost 30, and he’s graduating from college. He’s persevered to do it. We wish him well in his graduation; it’s a wonderful thing to do.”

Here Shaq is, a Hall of Famer who just turned 54, and he’s graduating from college - again.

On Saturday, O’Neal earned his Masters of Liberal Arts from the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. When it came time to walk across the stage and collect his diploma, his name was read as “Shaquille ‘I Hate Charles Barkley‘ O’Neal”:

This will surely be addressed on the next episode of “Inside the NBA,” where Barkley and O’Neal have co-hosted for 15 years and made television magic beside Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith.

In early April, Smith spoke exclusively to Newsweek and explained what makes up the “integrity” of “Inside the NBA.”

“You can’t lie to three of us,” Smith said. “Sometimes, there’s a host who never played, and you can lie to them. But you can’t lie to the three of us because there’s nothing in basketball that one of the three of us hasn’t done, seen, or heard. It’s impossible.”

O’Neal just did something that none of them have done, seen, or heard before, and I can’t wait for the review of the tape.

On a more serious note, O’Neal delivered the commencement speech at Saturday’s LSU graduation ceremony. Watch it here.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 6:29 PM.