Shaquille O’Neal is an icon in the NBA. Because of the way he dominated in the NBA, Shaq became a fan favorite, and thus became a lucrative figure for brands to endorse. As is the trend, Shaq received a massive shoe deal but wanted to make more affordable shoes.
He explained this desire during his appearance on Complex’s Sneaker Shopping. During the interview, Shaq explained the incident that took place in Orlando, where a mother told Shaq that she could not afford his shoes. And he explained why that drove him to make more affordable shoes for his fans (10:47 mark).
“No, no no… But everything happens for a reason. I think it was a blessing in disguise. She was right. We shouldn’t be charging these babies over $100, $200, $250. The babies that are wearing them, can’t afford them. Personally, as a 49-year-old man, I felt ashamed selling my babies shoes (for) $160, $180, $200. I know a lot of kids get teased for wearing my shoes. But if you look at my shoes, they don’t look like they cost $29 and I take pride in that.”
Shaq has spoken in the past about his desire to make more affordable shoes, even turning down a $40 million deal from Reebok to achieve this. O’Neal is a man of the people, and could not stand the idea of people paying a lot of money for shoes that have his name attached to them.
During the interview, O’Neal also discussed why he never wears Jordans anymore, his interaction with Barack Obama on the phone, and even trying to hand-deliver a pair of his shoes to the former president but being turned away for security reasons.
O’Neal has been known for his charitable behavior. He once tipped a restaurant server $4000 just because they asked him for it. Shaq is a kind and humble man, who certdoes a lot to help uplift people.
