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Shaquille O’Neal has had an illustrious career on the court, winning four NBA Championships, three Finals MVPs and 15 NBA All-Star appearances, among others. However, when it was his time to transition, Shaq came through with his smart business investments and his own ventures. His quest to better himself on every front has led him compete with Michael Jordan in his own field, the sneaker business. But with more affordable products. However, it seems like everybody is not a fan of everything Shaq does.

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While MJ maintains a strong grip on the business side of the world, Shaq, apart from his business ventures, is also a well-known sports analyst and DJ. But recently his work received some harsh criticism from a popular Sports analyst.

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Stephen A. Smith calls Shaq’s work “Kinda ugly”

Stephen A. Smith and Shaq have appeared together on multiple shows and podcasts to talk hoop. Although the two share a good relationship, Smith didn’t mince his words when he was asked about Shaq’s shoes with Reebok.

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USA Today via Reuters

When asked about his opinion on Diesel’s collaboration with Reebok for Shaqnosis, Smith replied, Kinda ugly….I was not a fan of that one and he knew I wasn’t.

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Smith added that he gave his honest reaction to Shaq on his signature line. The veteran NBA reporter mimicked O’Neal and said “Everybody likes it, everybody else likes it”, was his response to the criticism. The 55-year-old said that most things Shaq does works for him, but these shoes weren’t meant for people like him.

Most of Shaq’s shoes were inspired by the Jordan shoe line but they could not create a similar buzz. While admitting that the shoes were good, Smith added that they just weren’t his cup of tea.

Read More: Copying Billionaire Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal Helped Children Save Hundreds of Dollars with Genius Business Plan

Why Shaquille O’Neal decided to make affordable shoes

The 7 feet giant also carries a big heart, he deeply cares about people and also does a lot of philanthropic work. While Shaq had signature line deal with Reebok, he was approached by a fan who had a question for the big man. She asked him will there ever be an affordable shoe from him so she could manage to buy them for her kids.

This touched the Big Aristotle and he decided to launch his own brand Dunkman. Dunkman was an affordable brand of shoes carrying the name of one of the biggest superstars in the NBA.

Watch This Story: 3 Times 395 Pound NBA Giant Shaquille ONeal Scared The Life Out Of Fans By Diving Head First Into The Crowd

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Written by

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Prateek Singh

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Prateek Singh is a senior NBA writer for EssentiallySports, known for his insightful coverage of the league. With a deep passion for basketball fueled by the late Kobe Bryant's championship runs, Prateek has built his writing career on astute analysis and a firm understanding of the game. His area of expertise lies in breaking down trade reports and their implications for fans. His heartwarming coverage of tributes to NBA legend Magic Johnson’s father after his passing saw very high ratios of fan engagement. While this serves as a step closer to him writing a biography on his idol Kobe Bryant, for now, his focus is on delivering trustworthy coverage of the league he loves.

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Edited by

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Satagni Sikder

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