For today’s post, a bit more info on our man Shaq bringing in his son Shareef to help with the rebranding of the Reebok sports apparel and shoe business. As previously reported, Reebok is working hard to reestablish its brand in the sports world. About a year ago, the company announced hiring O’Neal and also another former NBA superstar, Allen Iverson, to take on the job.
Shaq’s history with the athletic footwear and clothing brand began in 1992, the very same year he was drafted with the Number One pick in the NBA. Back in the day, Reebok and Shaq produced iconic footwear like the Shaq Attaq and Shaqnosis shoes. Still, O’Neal left Reebok in 1998 when he decided to start his own brand in a partnership deal with Walmart. The idea was to bring more affordable shoes to kids and families.
Now O’Neal is back at Reebok as it’s new president of basketball. He is now responsible for the company’s basketball category strategy and nurturing partnerships with athletes and organizations. He’s already followed through on that partnership plan, signing WNBA star Angel Reese to a new name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with the company. Reese now has her very own Reebok apparel collection.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
Now comes Shaq’s the next big move, signing up his son Shareef to help him at Reebok. The younger O’Neal will help bring that younger perspective to the company’s shoe and apparel-design work, and he’ll also help in talking to – and signing up – younger players to the Reebok brand.
Recently, Shaq talked to industry publication Footwear News. “It’s all about product, players and the community and having the confidence to do things our own way. We need to capitalize on Reebok’s heritage and product expertise in the sport for today’s youth, but also focus on getting involved in the community from a grassroots level. We’re going to bring in a new generation of players who have strong authenticity and passion, or what I like to refer to as the ‘it’ factor, who can put their own mark on this brand and make it relevant to a whole new generation.”
Shaq and Shareef O’Neal
After playing for one season in the NBA’s developmental system, the G League, Shareef was apparently getting ready to travel around the world and go to Australia to continue to play in that country’s basketball league. Shaq basically intercepted him just before he left, asking him to join him at Reebok.
On the podcast Then They Rose, Shareef talked about bringing that younger perspective to Reebok, saying, “Basically, my job for Reebok right now is bringing in the culture, connecting the culture to Reebok. So, I took a year from playing professionally. I still work all the time, but seeing what all the things my dad has done for me, I wasn’t going to go to Australia to be 16 hours away from my family when they were just holding me down from the past however many years.”
Shareef is already optimistic about making Reebok super-relevant again, and sees more good news in the near-term future. “We’re doing a really good job right now, and I say by the time 2025 starts, Reebok will be up there with the rest of these brands, and I’m glad I can contribute with that, and yeah basically I’m just the guy in there who’s telling them oh this is the trends now, these are the brands that we should try to go for, these are the players we should go for, so I’m glad that he (Shaq) trusted me.”