Shaquille O'Neal Named President of Reebok Basketball
Throughout the 1990s, Reebok became the irreverent sports culture brand that we all know and love by signing many of the biggest athletes in the world and empowering them to be truly authentic. As the brand makes its return to team sport, it has reunited with the most dominant player ever. Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has been named the President of Reebok Basketball.
Throughout his legendary 19-year professional career, O’Neal tore down backboards and collected championship rings. His influence in the business world and pop culture zeitgeist was just as impactful as his powerful low-post moves. Most of O'Neal's success off the court can be traced back to his historic signature sneaker deal as a rookie before the 1992-93 NBA season.
Since taking office, O'Neal has helped assemble a stellar team around him, which included naming Allen Iverson the Vice President of Reebok Basketball. The dynamic duo has formed an administration that every constituent can support. FanNation Kicks spoke with O'Neal about his new role, vision for the company, and how he views his place in sneaker history.
Shaquille O'Neal in a Reebok photo shoot.
Reebok
How does it feel to reunite with Reebok and lead the basketball division?
"It feels great. Shout-out to Todd [Krinsky] and all the other Reebok employees and Authentic Brands. This is a great moment for me. It is something I've always wanted to do. My role will be to oversee basketball strategy, help advise on product development, and help develop partnerships with players and organizations. We were out of the space for a moment, but we're definitely coming back in and coming back strong.
We will have a performance product launch in 2024 and have an official consumer launch in 2025. I can remember when it comes to talking about the DNA of basketball roots; Reebok has always been in that conversation. We had a lot of great players: myself, Cam, Iverson. Business happened, and adidas did what they did, and Authentic Brands purchased Reebok, and now we're looking to get back into the space in a major way."
What are some of your goals as President of Reebok Basketball?
"Just to get back in the space and bring our name back. Because I remember back when I was playing, we were one or two, depending on who you were talking to. In basketball, we had some very unique players. For example, we had the most dominant basketball player to ever play the game, one of the most dynamic guards ever, and two high-flying guys in Dominique Wilkins and Shawn Kemp, who all wore Reebok. So, we had a lot of meat and potatoes in the game."
Are you going to try to recruit current players to Reebok?
"Yeah, I'm really going to focus on player development and product partnership. We have a great team at Reebok. Allen [Iverson] and Todd are going to do what they do, but I'm going to be the one calling people, talking to people, and doing deals with people. So, that's going to be my job."
It's been over 30 years since your first signature sneaker hit shelves. How does it feel to see kids still wearing your shoes?
"Shout-out to the sneakerheads for bringing the old retros back! Much respect to them. I remember when they kind of went away, I would get calls about people wearing my shoes again. I remember going into one of these stores, and one of my old Shaqnosis was like $1,000. I was like, 'Uh, where did you get these? And who is getting that $1,000?' So, I bought them and gave them to a kid."
A Reebok promotional poster for Shaquille O'Neal.
Reebok
You've told the story before about how The Twilight Zone inspired the Shaqnosis. Was that a weird coincidence, or did you regularly watch that show at that time?
"Growing up, I watched it. But one day, I was watching TV, and I woke up, and the screen was going like that (circular motion). I was like, 'What is this?' Then I remembered, 'Oh, that's The Twilight Zone.' So, I've always had the ability to be there when it was coming to my product development. So, we're going to have the same opportunities at Reebok now."
We all know the story of the college professor who failed you for your signature line idea. Do you ever look back at that and laugh?
"It's not that I laugh. But when you grow up with a military father, you're taught to never give up. The fact that certain people didn't believe in me, it just drove me. When I came out of college, I told powerful companies what I wanted. Two of them said no, and Reebok said, 'Sure, we'll take a chance on this kid.' Because I already knew where I wanted to go, and I knew how I was going to play. I knew the impact I was going to have on the NBA. I just wanted everybody else to know, and it was my job to make them believe that - and I did."
Your body of work on and off the court speaks for itself. How do you see your place in sneaker history?
"I've had some very impressive shoes and some great stories when it comes to footwear with Shaq Brand and Reebok. I'm new in this position, but I have great teammates around me and a great supporting cast with Authentics Brands and people with Reebok. We're just going to put our knowledge together, and we want to make noise in the space again. We understand there are a lot of competitors, but we're not intimated, and we're not worried."
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