Shaquille O’Neal took over as President for Reebok’s basketball division in October 2023. He appointed Allen Iverson as his Vice President and since then, the two have been working behind the scenes to reignite the fire within Reebok basketball. Their first order of business? Make Angel Reese the face of the division.
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Reebok was the second largest market share holder for basketball back in the 90s with Shaq at the helm of it all with his Shaq Attaq line. He would leave the company after a mother complained about the price of his shoes, leading to him making affordable sneakers that he sold at retail chains like Walmart.
However, after decades apart, Shaq felt as though he needed to make a return to the brand that first gave him a chance. The fact that he’s also one of Authentic Brands Groups’ largest shareholders helps given that they acquired Reebok from Adidas in early 2022 meaning before becoming President, he was already a part-owner of the company.
While on ‘Tommy Talks’ on YouTube, Shaq opened up about how Reebok has been doing ever since he’s taken control. He did not reveal any sales figures but said enough to imbue optimism within Reebok basketball fans.
“The way my organization is run, no news is good news. So, I haven’t gotten any bad news. So, I would say, yeah,” said Shaq if he’d seen any increases in revenue since taking over.
“I’m not the micromanaging type. Have we seen an increase in sales? Probably. Not sure. I don’t want to give you any inaccurate information but I haven’t got any calls from the top people saying ‘Hey sales are down.’”
Competing with Nike and Adidas is no small feat. To do so after less than two years as President is quite the accomplishment. Angel Reese can be credited a fair bit for this gradual rise as her AR1 shoe has been doing well thus far.
“The Angel Reese shoe is doing really well. We’re coming out with some new designs. Sold out,” said Shaq on the $120 pair of shoes that are slated to be released on September 18th.
The way Reebok believed in Shaq in the 90s after Nike failed to do so is the same way he believes in Reese to carry the torch forward. It isn’t just AR however as Bulls youngster, Matas Buzelis, signed with the brand as well, bringing them into the NBA landscape.
