“Kinda Ugly…Not a Fan”: Even With Michael Jordan Inspiration, Millionaire Shaquille O’Neal Faces Stinging Criticism Over His Work

Published 03/22/2023, 7:40 PM EDT

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.

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.

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

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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.

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“.

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.

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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.

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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:

Prateek is an NBA writer at Essentially Sports. As a law student, he has penned and published numerous pieces under his name. His passion for basketball comes from his early days of watching the Lakers perform their magic on the hardwood.

Edited by:

Satagni Sikder

“Kinda Ugly…Not a Fan”: Even With Michael Jordan Inspiration, Millionaire Shaquille O’Neal Faces Stinging Criticism Over His Work

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

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Why Shaquille O’Neal decided to make affordable shoes