The relationship between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal has made Inside the NBA must-watch television for more than a decade. The two are usually caught in back-and-forths where no insult is off the table, and it makes riveting television.
O’Neal, who received his Master’s degree from LSU on Saturday, found a way to work his playful friendship into the ceremony, with the PA announcer introducing him as Shaquille “I hate Charles Barkley” O’Neal.
Shaquille "I hate Charles Barkley" O'Neal 😂
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 16, 2026
Shaq got his masters from LSU & found a way to troll Chuck 😭
(via @TheBrandLSU)pic.twitter.com/kKaTUsylQA
It’s a great troll by the Hall of Fame center, who is never afraid to remind Barkley, another NBA legend and Hall of Famer, that he didn’t win any rings, while O’Neal won four NBA titles and was named NBA Finals MVP for three straight seasons in a dominant stretch from 2000-02 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
It's not the first shot taken between the two longtime friends
While the two have known each other for a long time, they did have some battles in the NBA, including a time that Barkley threw a basketball at O’Neal’s face, resulting in a fight between the two. The funniest part of that story is that the mothers of both players called their sons and basically forced them to apologize for their role in the fight.
This wasn’t one of those honorary degrees, either. O’Neal, who graduated with a B.A. in general studies from LSU after promising his mother that he would finish his degree despite leaving Baton Rouge after three years for the NBA, worked hard for his Master's in Liberal Arts.
While this is an awesome accomplishment by O’Neal, we are sure that Barkley will have a witty response to his friend taking the moment to make it about his fake hatred of the Auburn basketball legend. We are certain that, despite past instances, Barkley won’t have the strength to pick Shaq up and throw him out a window.
Add us as a preferred source on Google