College Basketball

Shaq earns doctorate in education at Barry in Fla.

Saturday, May 05, 2012

This June 3, 2011, photo shows Shaquille O'Neal announcing his retirement from NBA basketball at his home in Windermere, Fla. O'Neal has agreed to a multiyear deal with Turner Sports to become an analyst on its NBA coverage. O'Neal, who retired last month, will join TNT's studio show with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson. He also will contribute to NBA TV and NBA.com. The agreement announced Thursday, July 14, 2011, includes a development deal with Turner's entertainment and animation networks.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Tags:

college basketball

MIAMI, FL -- Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is a doctor now.

O'Neal received his doctoral degree in education from Barry University alongside 1,100 other students during commencement ceremonies Saturday.

The Miami Herald (http://bit.ly/KCwbej ) reports that O'Neal got on one knee so the chair of Barry's organizational learning and leadership program could drape a light blue hood around O'Neal's more-than-7-foot frame.

O'Neal then high-fived other graduates as he made his way back to his seat along with his manager, Cynthia Atterberry, who also received a doctorate in education.

The former All-Star and MVP earned a cumulative GPA of 3.813 while completing 54 credit hours at Barry, mostly through online courses and video conferencing over the last four years. O'Neal's doctoral capstone project explored how CEOs and business leaders use humor in the workplace.

Get more College Basketball »

Tags:

college basketball