“Nike didn’t give me my own shoe, Reebok did”: Shaquille O’Neal explains why he chose British-origin Reebok over Nike as a #1 overall pick in 1992

Shaquille O’Neal reveals that he got Nike and Reebok to enter a bidding war to drive his own sponsorship fee up.

O’Neal has been one of the NBA’s best-marketed, most well-loved players of all time. He played in the league for 19 years and is now in his 11th year as a sportscaster for TNT. What marks him out beside the other great big men is his extremely approachable manner.

Shaq has always been personable and, despite his meltdowns on TNT, is actually a very humble guy. He has a whole personality that is unique to him, built around his size and his dominance on the court. A big goofball who dunked on hapless centers for fun, who didn’t want that!

Naturally, the endorsements have lined up for the 7’1″ big man over the past 30 years or so. He’s had his own signature shoe line with 2 different retailers, but it’s always his Reebok deal that will be memorable. Those were the shoes he wore during his triple Finals MVP run, after all.

Also Read – LeBron James just got outplayed in the 4th quarter at Staples by… Luke Kennard? Skip Bayless trolls the Lakers MVP as the Clippers win the battle of LA 119-115.

Shaquille O’Neal reveals his thought process behind signing with Reebok over Nike

Shaquille O’Neal was recently spotted Sneaker Shopping with Joe La Pluma from Complex Magazine. The Lakers legend spends a lot of time in Atlanta, where TNT’s studio is based. The joint they visited to shop for Shaq’s sneakers is called A Ma Maniere.

Shaq began the interview by telling viewers about his bad experience with Jordans in middle school. The conversation then moved on to how he got his first shoe deal as a rookie in 1992.

Reebok and Nike were the two companies that were mainly in public consideration for the big man’s signature. But privately, Shaq always knew he was going to sign with the former. The prospect that swayed him, O’Neal says, was that of having his own unique signature shoe:

“When I got to college, we had a deal with LA Gear. When I got drafted, they gave me the opportunity to have my own shoe – Reebok. Nike was interested, but they didn’t want me to have my own shoe.”

Also Read – Chris Paul is the most clutch player in the 4th quarter! Kendrick Perkins makes his case for the Suns’ vet winning the MVP, comparing his season to that of Steve Nash’s 2005 campaign.

La Pluma then teased viewers with a story about O’Neal visiting the Nike headquarters dressed in Reebok gear. We’ll bring that story to you in a short while!