Source: Reebok / Reebok
It’s been more than 30 years since Shaquille O’Neal first signed on as a Reebok athlete, and the duo is still going strong.
The former Los Angeles Lakers big man just strengthened his relationship with the athletic company by standing on business.
Shaq has been named the President of Reebok Basketball and is ready to make waves immediately, so he chopped it up with Complex Sneakers about his appointment.
“It’s been a perfect journey for me. You know, there’s truly no one more qualified for this role than me. I will oversee basketball strategy, help advise on product development, develop partnerships and players organizations. And I really want to focus on player development. And I can remember, when I came in, we had a certain type of player with a certain type of swag,” he revealed.
Shaq has some experience in the footwear business, having previously owned his own sneaker company, and is ready to scale up. Having been a professional athlete, the Hall of Famer knows one of the most critical aspects of winning is having talent around him.
“It’s all about the teammates; you can’t win a championship without great teammates. I got point guards in the business. I got a power forward. I got a shooting guard. I’m definitely gonna have a lot of help,” he explains. “Everyone has a role. Even as a president, I know what my role is. I’m gonna be really focusing on player development and partnerships, and everybody’s gonna play their role and have meetings, and we’re going to work together as a team. I look forward to the challenge.”
While he’ll surely have some experienced suits behind desks, he’s also bringing in another NBA great who’s enjoyed their own Reebok signature sneakers over the years: Allen Iverson.
That’s right, AI will be Shaq’s right-hand man as he’s been named Vice President of Reebok Basketball.
Both are looking for that it factor to make the next face of the brand pop, and Shaq praises AI for what he means to the culture of Reebok. Now, it’s time to recreate the magic.
“AI is, like, really truly one of the founding fathers, the cornerstone of Reebok basketball. He will definitely be by my side. And, you know, all the other guys, I will definitely be taking the input from those guys, but we’re looking to come back strong,” Shaq added.
