For most basketball players, signing with Nike is a dream come true. But there are a select few who have trusted other sneaker brands as well. Shaquille O’Neal is one of them.
Instead of going the traditional route, Shaquille O’Neal signed with Reebok in 1992. Shaq was such a fan of Reebok that he sabotaged his meeting with Nike by wearing the rival company’s jacket. Understandably, Nike didn’t like this stunt from O’Neal.
“Nike, they had like four or five people, and it was always my dream to have a signature shoe,” O’Neal said. “So when I went to Reebok, they was going to give me a signature shoe. Because I already had my Shaq emblem. I already had all the commercials. I had everything done in my head on how I wanted to go. So when I went to Reebok, they said they were going to do it. But we promised Nike that we would listen to them. So I wore my Reebok jacket to the Nike meeting. So I came back, and I signed with Reebok.”
(Starts at 10:20)
Shaquille O’Neal has never been your regular NBA player. He wanted signature shoes right out of the gate, and in order to do that, he went with Reebok instead of Nike.
Shaq’s decision was understandable, but he could have turned down Nike in a much-firmer way than he originally did.
Shaquille O’Neal Cut Ties With Reebok In 2004
After spending more than a decade with Reebok, Shaquille O’Neal launched his own brand ‘SHAQ’ in 2004.
One would assume that the Big Aristotle made the decision for financial reasons, but that’s not the case. In fact, O’Neal did so for a humble reason while leaving $40 million from Reebok on the table.
“I had a Reebok deal, 40 [million] for five [years],” Shaq said. “And I’m leaving the arena one day, and this lady, she’s ripping me like, ‘You m*****f*****s charging these babies all this money for the shoes!’ I thought about it. I was like, ‘You know what, she’s right.’ So that day, I cut ties with Reebok,” Shaq said. “… I told them I said, ‘Keep the money. This ain’t right. Don’t want to make it no fight. I’ll still wear the shoes, and I’ll wear it during the season, but I’ll be looking to do my own thing.'”
O’Neal may have been a force to be reckoned with on the court, but his kindness knows no limit off the court, and he has given proof of it multiple times over the years.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
