In 1992, LSU star Shaquille O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. That same year, Reebok signed him to an endorsement deal, and a new sneaker line was born.
A few years later, the brand expanded by adding Georgetown and Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson to the family, giving Reebok two superstar and future Hall of Fame pillars to build on for years to come.
In 1996, Shaq and Reebok released his most famous shoe, the “Shaqnosis,” a shoe with massive popularity that even ended up on Will Smith’s feet in the 1997 smash hit “Men In Black”.
Yet as Shaq’s dominance on the NBA hardwood and off the court in commercials, films and music grew, the success of his Reebok sneaker line and his relationship with the company went in the opposite direction, eventually leading to a split in 1998.
But Shaq was no dummy.
He knew his worth and understood there was a market for quality, lower-priced sneakers, so he launched his own brand, Shaq and Dunkman, and made millions by selling them in stores like Payless.
In 2012, Reebok and Shaq mended ways, reunited and relaunched the Shaq Attaq line and the Shaqnosis as retro brands. Three years later, Shaq invested in Authentic Brands Group and in 2022, ABG bought Reebok from Adidas for $2.46 Billion.
It was something Shaq had pleaded with ABG to do for years.
“Shaquille was always pushing Jamie and I to buy Reebok,” said Nick Woodhouse, President and CMO of Authentic Brands Group. “When it came to fruition, we knew that from a legacy perspective, there is maybe no other business person-slash-athlete more in tune with a brand than maybe Michael and Nike. [Jordan and Shaquille] really sit alone, in terms of in the last 30 years together, creating and building brands together [with an athletic company.]”
And so on Wednesday, more than 30 years since he first signed with the brand, Shaquille O’Neal was named President of Basketball for Reebok.
In his new role, Shaq will be responsible for things such as strategic direction, marketing and athlete recruitment, and more while leading the company’s relaunch into basketball.
With him will be Reebok’s other legendary, Basketball Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson, who will act as Vice President of Reebok Basketball.
“AI is a founding father of Reebok Basketball and has left a lasting impact on the game and its surrounding culture,” said O’Neal in an interview with Boardroom. “There is no one I’d rather work with to bring in a new generation of ballers to Reebok than him. Shaq and AI back at it – feels good.”
And for those who grew up wearing their shoes, it feels just as good.
