Charles Barkley often complains in different interviews that he is sick and tired of seeing Shaquille O’Neal everywhere. Unfortunately for him, it’s difficult to avoid Shaq’s name, image, and likeness if you are on American soil. That’s the influence of Shaq’s brand.
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But the big fella was not this big overnight. He had to carefully curate his brand for companies to line up for endorsement. However, a lot of people don’t know that Shaq actually stole the prototype of his brand from another basketball player who didn’t make it big.
During a 2014 interview with ESPN, the four-time NBA Champion admitted, “A lot of people don’t know but the ‘Shaq’ character was stolen. It was a guy who went to North Carolina State, his name was Charles Shackleford. He had the knee pads. So I stole his whole identity.”
“And I knew that I was gonna be a way better player than him, so I took his whole identity and said, ‘Let me try this Shaq thing,'” O’Neal added.
This decision Shaq took while he was in high school in San Antonio changed his life. The catchy name picked up and hurled the dominant center into more notoriety than what his thunderous dunks on the courts brought.
The ‘Shaq’ brand later became a favorite for many brands as the NBA struggled to find its new face after the departure of Michael Jordan.
“And given the long transition the NBA was in post-Jordan, the league ought to be damn glad it had him. A great many of the big markets, including Chicago, New York, Philly, Washington and Houston, had teams that were flops. The Spurs, no matter how wonderfully skilled and unselfishly they played, put people to sleep. Shaq and his foolishness were there, fortunately, to save the day,” ESPN’s Michael Wilbon wrote on the eve Shaq’s retirement in 2011.
And ‘Shaq’ is still one of the most popular brands in America. That speaks volumes on how well the big fella has not only maintained, but advanced his image beyond that of a basketball legend.
Now let’s hope that Charles Shackleford doesn’t sue Shaq for stealing ‘his whole identity’. He certainly has the big man’s public admission at his disposal if he does.
But jokes aside, Shaq’s business acumen is a masterclass for anyone looking to work on their personal branding.
“Oh unfortunately Mr. O’Neal big guys don’t sell,” that’s what Shaq’s professor at LSU told him as he pitched an idea to sell t-shirts under his name. The big fella didn’t need a second invitation to prove him wrong.
