Shaquille O’Neal is many things- a sports analyst, podcast host, rapper, music producer, touring DJ, movie star, and entrepreneur.
Last year, the four-time NBA champion added another title to his resume; President of Basketball at Reebok. O’Neal is responsible for cultivating partnerships with athletes and organizations and leading Reebok’s basketball category strategy.
“This is a great moment for me. It is something I’ve always wanted to do. My role will be to oversee basketball strategy, help advise on product development, and help develop partnerships with players and organizations. We were out of the space for a moment, but we’re definitely coming back in and coming back strong,” O’Neal said following his appointment.
He is not going at it alone. O’Neal has since brought in his son, Shareef, an NBA G League Ignite player, to help with restructuring the athletic footwear and clothing brand.
On a podcast, Shareef recently revealed the process that led him to work alongside his father. The 24-year-old had played for the NBA G League and was heading to Australia in pursuit of his basketball dream when when his father asked him to come work at Reebok. O’Neal needed his help with redesigning sneakers and clothes and signing players as the brand entered a new era. Shareef decided to halt his plans and work alongside his father at the sneaker brand.
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The father-son duo have collaborated on the Reebok “Engine A,” Angel Reese’s performance basketball. The Chicago Sky forward signed a historic NIL footwear and apparel partnership with Reebok during her senior season at Louisiana State University. She is just the second WNBA player in history to receive a signature shoe from Reebok. Reese has expressed her desire to become the brand’s face of women’s basketball.
The Reebok Engine A is the first launch since O’Neal took over the basketball division. It is also Reebok’s first performance basketball shoe in nearly a decade. The shoe’s design reimagines the Mobius Line, Reebok’s ’90s signature design. The Reebok “Engine A” cements the brand’s official relaunch into basketball footwear since its release of the ZPump Rise in 2015. The shoe will officially be released in Spring 2025.
This is not O’Neal’s first rodeo with Reebok. The company signed him to a multi year year deal worth $15 million in 1992. He launched a series of sneakers, including Shaq Attaq and Shaqnosis in partnership with the brand. However, an encounter with a mother upset about the hefty prices of his shoes inspired O’Neal to walk away from a lucrative $40 million endorsement deal with Reebok. He went on to partner with Walmart to create affordable shoes within the $19-$29 range that have since sold over 400 million pairs.
In addition to leading Reebok’s rebrand, O’Neal was a key part of the brand’s acquisition from Adidas. Adidas acquired Reebok in 2006 for $3.8 billion and sold it to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) in 2020 for about $2.5 billion following a decline in revenue. O’Neal has owned shares in ABG since 2015 and was a crucial part of helping the company through the acquisition process. As an executive and partial owner of Reebok, O’Neal and Shareef are sharing their love for basketball with a new generation of athletes and fans.
“We’re doing a really good job. I say that by the time 2025 starts, Reebok will be up there with the rest of these brands. I’m glad I contributed to that,” Shareef said about his role restructuring Reebok’s basketball division.
