“I have been speechless for months, bro, I have been speechless. Because I have never thought of any shoe deal. I have never thought of representing a brand.” After signing with the Reebok brand, Dink Pate expressed his happiness as his career looks to take off. Instead of the college route, the 19-year-old turned pro by joining the G-League. Now he is a great prospect ahead of the 2025 Draft day. His presence during the pre-draft workout left a lasting impression, similar to what Shaquille O’Neal left on him.

The 6-feet-8 star averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 30.7% shooting from 3-point range in 50 games with the Mexico City Capitanes last season. When he joined the developmental league, he became the youngest-ever professional baller when he turned pro at just 17. Naturally, signing him was a priority in order to rebuild Reebok. Shaq, who now heads the basketball division at Reebok, even met with Pate during one of the workouts, as shown in the second episode of Power Moves docuseries on Reebok by Netflix.

The Texas native, after meeting Shaquille O’Neal and signing with the brand, said, “It was good to actually be up that close to him. I didn’t know he was that tall. He shook my hand, and my whole arm disappeared. Yeah. Man, big hand. Big hand.” The Lakers legend’s hand size reportedly is 10.25 inches in length and 12 inches in span. Naturally, the Big Aristotle’s presence is larger than life. But the 4x NBA champion made sure not to overwhelm Pate.

“It’s a blessing. It’s a humbling moment, like, real down-to-earth dude. He came here by himself, like my uncle.” Meeting Shaquille O’Neal felt like meeting a family member, which took the nervous performance energy. Which is why he is able to show off his skill in his 13th pre-draft workout. This was in Sacramento, and Pate revealed one surprising factor that nobody anticipated.”Honestly, I feel like I’ve been surprising a lot of people. Today was my 13th workout. Every workout I’ve been to, every staff member has always been like, ‘Dink, I didn’t know you was this tall.’ ‘I didn’t know you was this big.‘”

Why is it surprising for many? “So just surprising a lot of people because I know nobody want to come into Mexico,” said Pate. That’s why he is performing and his expected to be a second-round pick as per ESPN’s mock draft. The 19-year-old is enjoying the process so far. “Honestly, just letting the people see me. Been getting a lot of good things, though. A lot of people get to see me. I’m a big guard. I’m a willing passer, and I love to play the game.”

Why Shaquille O’Neal signed the former G League star and called it ‘risky’

In 2023, when Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson assumed their duties as the new President and Vice President of Basketball Operations, they had a huge target to achieve. In order to compete with Nike and Adidas, they knew signing reliable superstars to the brand was key. From landing Angel Reese, Nate Ament, and Matas Buzelis to nearly signing the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, that’s how the plan has been working so far.

But what reason did Dink Pate give to convince Shaquille O’Neal? The Lakers’ legend has always cared deeply for his own family and saw a similar trait in Dink Pate. “He is very family-oriented.” In the Netflix docuseries, Pate revealed that taking care of his mother first and foremost motivation. It is similar to what Shaquille O’Neal had promised, which he fulfilled by giving a house to his mother from his NBA income. Yet, it could be uncharted territory, signing a 19-year-old.

“(Also) I didn’t even tell that. But for Dink or any young player to sign with Reebok right now, when we’ve been out of the game for a while, would be a risk.” It was important for Pate to trust the vision, and he did. Now, the draft takes place next Wednesday, a crucial juncture for Pate, who rejected college basketball opportunities to achieve this dream.