BATON ROUGE, LA. — Shaquille O'Neal returned to Louisiana State University on Saturday to receive his Master of Liberal Arts degree and deliver the commencement address. O'Neal earned the degree through LSU's College of Humanities & Social Sciences.

The announcer introduced him as "Shaquille 'I hate Charles Barkley' O'Neal," drawing laughter and cheers from the audience. After his name was called, the 7-foot-1-inch O'Neal danced as he walked across the stage to receive his degree and then posed for photos with it.

During his remarks, O'Neal joked about Barkley, his friend and colleague on ESPN's "Inside the NBA." "One day, Charles Marshall was fat. The next day, he's skinny. I don't know what happened," O'Neal said. He also plugged some of his products during the ceremony.

He offered advice to graduates as well. "Continue to strive, continue to learn, continue to have fun," O'Neal said. "Stay curious and open-minded around the world around you."

O'Neal played for the LSU Tigers basketball team from 1989 to 1992. He was named the Associated Press Player of the Year in 1991 and ranks fifth all-time in scoring at LSU with 1,941 points and second all-time in rebounds with 1,217. He was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft.

He first graduated from LSU in December 2000, the same month the university retired his jersey, making him the fourth player in program history to receive that honor at the time. In 2011, LSU unveiled a statue of him outside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as part of the school's basketball statue plaza.

Following his college career, O'Neal won multiple NBA championships and built a broadcasting and business career. He currently appears on TNT and ESPN basketball coverage programs.