Following in the footsteps of his father Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef O’Neal took up basketball and eventually even got very close to it. Having played in the NBA G-League in the 2022-23 NBA season, the son of the Los Angeles Lakers legend addressed his fans on social media about his current goals and tasks at hand. And while doing so, he made sure to let his fans know that his basketball has not concluded just yet.
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Shareef O’Neal has been working with his father, Shaquille O’Neal, in rebranding the $2.4 Billion brand, Reebok. The 24-year-old addressed his fans on Instagram, writing a message on his stories to explain why there haven’t been many posts on his account since the last time Shareef uploaded anything was back in 2019.
“Guys I’ve been working along side my father with rebranding Reebok brand.. and we will get it back to the top. I WILL BE HOOPING AGAIN, I know I’ve been missing and haven’t been posting what I’m doing but I did not stop! I will be back soon! Just want to help out my dad.”
Shareef O’Neal giving his dad Shaquille O’Neal some much needed helping hand! pic.twitter.com/0gGxdjysRB
— Ballerz Worldwide (@ballaznba) May 15, 2024
According to Reuters, the company was acquired by Adidas back in 2006 for $3.8 billion. Adidas planned to acquire Reebok in the hopes of competing with the rising sporting goods giant, Nike. Unfortunately, it did not work out for the German brand as ‘The Swoosh’ went on to acquire more players from various sports and leagues in their journey to build an untouchable empire.
Back in 2021, Adidas decided to part ways with Reebok, selling the brand to Authentic Brand Groups (ABG) for approximately 2.1 billion Euros. Fortunately, O’Neal and Co. have since brought the brand value up to $2.4 billion, signifying the positive work the father-son duo has done together.
As for the young man’s basketball journey, Shareef O’Neal last played for the NBA’s G-League team, Ignite back in the 2022-23 season. However, since then, the son of the four-time NBA champion hasn’t been seen on a basketball court.
Given this reality, many believed that he may have given up on his basketball journey. However, if his assurance to his fans is anything to go by, the 24-year-old seems to have something planned already. However, before all that, he seems to be focused on helping Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson drag Reebok back into the limelight.
Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson take charge of Reebok
Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson were two players who had the most popular signature sneakers with Reebok during their playing days. Now, as the brand is working to get back on top, these two NBA legends have been given the keys to the helm.
Last year, Reebok announced Shaquille O’Neal as the new President of Basketball Operations for the brand and Allen Iverson as the Vice President along with him. This move by Reebok garnered a whole lot of attention from fans and celebrities alike.
The two planned a series of moves for the brand’s future with respect to the players they would target, not just from the NBA, but from other leagues as well. For instance, the brand was successful in locking in Angel Reese with a NIL deal, who later revealed why she joined the brand.
“So many different shoe companies wanted to work with me. But I chose Reebok. What was it about Reebok? One, they don’t have a women’s basketball player [as] a face. So I wanted to be that.” She also went on to add, “Y’all like what I wear, y’all like how I dress, y’all like my style. I wanted to incorporate that into Reebok.” per HYPEBEAST
The brand is giving Reese full creative control over her products, something that is sure to add an extra dimension to her signature products. Further, with a player as influential as the former LSU Tiger on their side, the future of the brand’s value and allure couldn’t possibly look any brighter.
