Shaquille O’Neal Explains Why He Initially Left Reebok to Sell More Affordable Shoes

Shaquille O’Neal has had quite a journey in footwear. At the Black Footwear Forum in Detroit this past weekend, the NBA icon shared insight into his path to creating affordable shoes.

“When I first came out [of LSU], I wanted to be the first big man [in the NBA] to have a shoe. I went to Nike, they didn’t want to sign me, so I went to Reebok. I went back to Nike wearing a Reebok jacket,” said O’Neal, earning laughs from those in attendance at PLC Detroit, the first design-focused historically Black college and university (HBCU) in the country.

He continued, “I was in marketing class in college, and the professor said, ‘Make up something that you could see in the future for yourself.’ If you look at my Dunkman. I was looking at [Michael] Jordan. He’s Jumpman because that’s how he dunks, and you know how I dunk. The professor said, ‘Impressive, but not impressive.’ I said, ‘Why is it not impressive?’ he said, ‘Big guys don’t sell, this will never work.’ When I went to Reebok, I said, ‘I want my own shoe, I want this, I want that,’ and they said OK. I said, ‘Oh s**t, it works.’ We started the Dunkman, it went very well the first few years.”

Reebok and O’Neal produced several basketball sneakers during his playing days that are widely considered classics, including the Shaq Attaq and the Shaqnosis. Although the partnership was successful, in conversation with Reebok senior vice president of global product Portia Blunt, O’Neal explained what led him down the different path of creating more affordable footwear.

“One day, I’m in the arena, this beautiful young lady is there, she’s dragging her son and she just wears me a new one. I’m young, I’m 19, 20. She’s like, ‘How come you motherf*ers don’t make shoes that we could afford?’ I was like, ‘Ma’am, I don’t control the price point,’ but it kind of hit me,” O’Neal shared. “I’m a mama’s boy, so I called my mom like, ‘This lady yelled at me,’ and she was like, ‘Baby, she’s right. One of y’all needs to make shoes that’s affordable.’ So I called Reebok and said, ‘The $40 million you owe me, keep it, I’m going to start my own brand and that’s when I started the Shaq brand.”

He also offered shared an important piece of information for brands or entrepreneurs interested in delivering more affordable shoes to the market. “It’s not that people don’t want to pay $20 or $30 for shoes,” O’Neal said. “They don’t want their shoes to look like they’re $30.”

About the Author

Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.