When it comes to NBA sneaker deals, Michael Jordan and Nike have a monopoly on the conversation โ and as close as you can get to a monopoly when it comes to NBA sneaker dollars. It only stands to reason that historyโs richest instance of athlete endorsement slash the reason why MJโs a billionaire is common knowledge. The lesser-known US$40 million / AU$54 million sneaker deal between Shaq and Reebok, however, (or more appropriately its cancellation) deserves just as much attention for an entirely different reason.
Appearing on the Full Send podcast earlier this year, the four-time NBA champion and legendary Los Angeles Laker recounted the day he decided to walk away from the sports apparel brand for the sake of his younger fans who simply couldnโt afford Reebok prices.
โI had a Reebok deal: $40 million for five years. And Iโm leaving the arena one day and this lady, sheโs ripping me a new asshole: โYou motherfuckers, charging these babies all this money for shoes,โ says Shaquille OโNeal.
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โI had like $2,000 in my pocket. I said, โMaโam, I donโt make the prices. Here you go.โ And she smacked the money out of my hand. โWhy donโt you motherfuckers make a shoe thatโs affordable?โ And I thought about it. And I was like, โYou know whatโฆ sheโs right.โโ
โThat day, I cut ties with Reebok and started my own brandโฆ I told โem, โKeep the money, this ainโt right. I donโt want to make it no fight. Iโll still wear the shoes that I wear during the season, but Iโll be looking to do my own thing.'โ
โSo I started the Shaq Brand.โ
The decision was fairly consistent with Supermanโs entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit. Even before establishing the Shaq Brand, heโd been an active bond investor all throughout the early 90s, while continuing to โwade into stocksโ and make investments in various familiar entities such as General Electric, Apple, Pepsi; on top of his real estate side hustle which aimed to assist Orlando homeowners facing foreclosure by snapping up the mortgages of those whoโd fallen on hard times and sell the homes back under extremely affordable terms.
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โI went to my favourite store, Walmart, and we did a deal. I was in all stores and my price point for the shoes was $29 to $19. And since then we sold over 400 million pairs. Because I realise with kids, right? Itโs not that kids donโt want to wear $20 shoes, they donโt want to wear shoes that look like they cost $20.โ
โSo the designers they had at Reebok, I said, โYโall coming with me now and weโre going to design some shoes. I donโt give a shit about how much money I lose. Make these kids look good and feel good.'โ
โEven though theyโre $20 shoes, you can still feel good about them because โShaqโ โ not the best in the world but heโs not the worst. Heโs up in that Top 5 category when it comes to, you know, bad mofos that play the game. Kids can get away with wearing my stuff.โ
Shaq might be humble enough to have placed himself somewhere in the Top 5 of active pro ballers, but heโs certainly earned the #1 spot in the Good Bloke Rankings for putting his personal beliefs before an easy paycheque courtesy of a Reebok deal.
