Unstoppable on the floors, Shaquille O’Neal could however also be as wild outside the floors. Proof of this is a crazy enough action by the quadruple champion to stop negotiations with Nike… Needless to say, they must have felt it pass!
Few of the players have made such an impact on their debut as Shaquille O’Neal. The Hall of Famer set the tone from the start, with a breathtaking NBA first week. The least we can say is that he did not stop then, averaging 29 points and 13 rebounds in his sophomore season!
Logically, the young interior had quickly attracted investors in droves, aware of the potential commercial phenomenon they had there before their eyes. In the field of sneakers, Nike had notably tried an approach, a great honor for any basketball player. Except that everything did not go as planned …
Indeed, the Big Diesel had a strict demand: it wanted a signature shoe, which the comma brand was not yet ready to give it. Others on the other hand were, and in particular Reebok, which finally won the bet. O’Neal accepted the offer, and gave himself a bang to make everyone understand his decision:
Nike, they had four or five people and I always dreamed of having a signature shoe. So when I went to Reebok, they were going to give me a custom shoe. Because I already had my Shaq emblem. I already had all the ads. I had done everything in my head about 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 just to clear it up. So I came back, and signed with Reebok.
Wearing a competitor’s clothing to a meeting, difficult to be more explicit. Shaq remained until 1998 with his sponsor, before leaving the brand and creating his own, in partnership with Walmart. Fun fact, it was recently announced that the ABG Group has acquired Reebok. Among the shareholders of the conglomerate, we find in particular… Shaquille O’Neal.
Definitely, the Shaq knows how to be just as ruthless on and off the basketball courts. Nike certainly regretted not giving in to his request at the time!
