No, he’s not in the White House, or heading there any time soon. At least not that we know of. Cool idea, though. Still, our man Shaq has yet another big title to add to his business card.
We all know that Shaq is big in the business world. He’s got ownership and partnerships in many different businesses, from Papa John’s Pizza – where he’s on the Board of Directors, to being a commercial brand influencer for businesses as varied as The General insurance to Carnival Cruise Lines.
As we reported here on the ShaqFu Radio blog just last week, Shaq also owns a couple Krispy Kreme donut shops. One of the flagship stores in the Atlanta area reopened last week after being rebuilt after a fire.
In the business world, Shaq has had a longstanding relationship with sports apparel company Reebok. Reebok was one of the companies that started Shaq on his influencer path… Even though back in the day, there was no such word as “influencer.” Reebok had Shaq-branded court shoes – the Shaq Attaq – years ago, back in the big man’s playing days in Orlando.
Now Reebok is working hard to reestablish its brand in the sports world. This week (as of this posting), the company announced the hiring of two people it believes can help do that: Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson.
O’Neal has been named Reebok’s president of basketball, and Iverson has been named vice president of basketball. Along with the Shaq AttaQ brand – the company’s first name-brand product, Iverson was also a Reebok athlete, and his popularity in the early 2000s gave the brand a big boost and an edgy credibility.
In an interview with an online business site, O’Neal talked about he and Iverson working at Reebok: “AI is a founding father of Reebok Basketball and has left a lasting impact on the game and its surrounding culture. There is no one I’d rather work with to bring in a new generation of ballers to Reebok than him. Shaq and AI back at it — feels good.”
Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky is (no surprise) excited to welcome two actual basketball legends to the company in an official capacity: “Being at the company for such a long time, one of the things I’m most proud about, is a lot of brands have relationships with their athletes and endorsers. Usually they’re giving them product in perpetuity and having them come to events and appearances.”
Krinsky, also from Boardroom. “With this, we’re actually bringing two of our legacy athletes together and having them be in real management positions within our company. It’s a new move in our industry that hasn’t been done before.”
What’s the job description for the two legends? Shaq and Iverson will be focusing on recruiting players, but in ways that play to their strengths. Iverson will be recruiting players by concentrating on Reebok’s involvement in grassroots organizations and community initiatives. Shaq will be using his contacts to connect, recruit and retain those athletes.
Shaq on Boardroom: “A big part of my role will be leveraging my network to build bridges, connect the brand with players, and help those players develop through their partnership with Reebok.”
As he does with all his business interests, Shaq wants to put his own personal spin on the gig: “We just want to do things differently,” O’Neal told Boardroom. “That’s what we were best known for back then and what we want to stay true to now.”