“When Complex Creates a Fake Narrative”: Devin Booker Responds to Shaquille O’Neal Recruiting Him Following Reports of Conflict with Nike

Shaquille O’Neal is a keen investor and is never shy of shooting his shot in order to secure a good deal. Therefore, when he perceived that he had an opportunity to go grab Devin Booker for Reebok, he didn’t let it slide. Since Booker seemed reportedly unhappy with Nike’s launch of his Book 1 shoes, Reebok President Shaquille O’Neal attempted to recruit him instantly. Subsequently, on his IG story, Booker shared his reaction to the pitch by Shaquille O’Neal. 

In his story, D-Book shared a post by the Insta handle Nice Kicks, which shows a squinting Booker with the caption, “When complex creates a fake narrative about you and now Shaq is recruiting you to Reebok.” 

The original post also underlined Shaq’s comments alongside this frowning reaction. In an Instagram post of his own, Shaq wrote in the caption, tagging Booker, “Hey Devin Booker, I know y’all aren’t happy with the sneaker launch. You should come with Reebok. We just getting started. Hit me.” So what prompted O’Neal’s comments?

In October 2023, Nike released the design of Devin Booker’s first signature shoes Book 1. However, despite massive endorsements, the appeal of the shoes among sneakerheads has been limited. Owing to these concerns, on  The Complex Sneakers Show, one of the co-hosts, Matt Welty criticized Nike for their launch strategy. Welty criticized the company for not dropping the shoe in Booker’s homebase in Phoenix and instead launching it in Miami, Florida. When the official Insta handle of Complex Sneakers on Insta made a post about the criticism, Booker responded, “A lot of people feel the same way”, while tagging Welty and attaching a crying emoji.

Therefore, the athlete himself seemed to have felt the dissatisfaction. However, Booker later reportedly backtracked on his remark and implied that it is wrong to dismiss a shoe that hasn’t reached the public yet. 

Upon viewing this development, O’Neal sent a recruitment pitch to bolster Reebok’s star power. This prompted the hilarious self-meme response from the Suns star. But all of these developments beg a question. What went wrong with the launch of Book 1?

A case of botched opportunity?

There was no shortage of endorsements for the sneakers when the design leaked in September. One of the top musicians, Drake wore them in his Arizona concert in September 2023. Book’s superstar teammate Kevin Durant also wore the shoes. Apart from that, GQ’s writer Calum Marsh termed it as “one of the most immediately impressive signature shoes in recent memory.” Despite these massive endorsements, the launch of the shoe has fallen prey to some horrid decision-making. 

When Nike launched the shoe in Miami’s Art Basel last year, they could sell merely 500 pairs. Apart from that, Booker had not rocked the shoes during the NBA Media Month which came just a month after Drake’s concert. Thus, he failed to ride the wave and missed out on a significant marketing opportunity. 

The retro look driven from old-school Air Jordan shoes combined with advanced sneaker component such as Nike Cushlon 2.0 foam midsole was supposed to sweep the sneakerheads. The design of the shoe was meant to appeal to fanbases across generations. However, thus far, they have failed to make a significant impression. Even Booker realizes that his first signature shoe was meant to be more special than this. Did Nike stumble in their approach towards Book 1?