Building a roster that delivers results is not easy. That’s what Shaquille O’Neal discovered when he became President of Basketball Operations for Reebok. For him, the formation of the team began with hiring Allen Iverson as the Vice President. Under their stewardship, they signed Angel Reese as their first player who could take them to the promised land. There were setbacks, too—one was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. At the time, SGA’s expiring Converse deal was the NBA’s marquee sneaker story. In March 2024, SGA re‐upped with Converse on a multi‐year extension reportedly worth $15 million guaranteed. Another was a top 2025 draft prospect, Ace Bailey.

The Rutgers alum is likely a top 5 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Many mock drafts have him as high as number 3, the pick which the 76ers currently firmly control. Bailey averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds along with 1.3 assists with the Scarlet Knights, and his off-court endorsements were valued in the millions. According to On3, Bailey’s NIL valuation is estimated to be $1.6 million by February 2025. Naturally, the 18-year-old topped Shaq’s list—but the deal never materialized.

On Netflix’s Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers legend spoke about the situation in Hypotheticals first. Shaq: “The kid I’m looking at wants some big money. And this kid ain’t touch the college floor yet. How will you handle that?” His question was to his friends and Shareef’s early development coach, whose answer gave relief to the 4x NBA champion.

“Like, so, there’s so many other ways that you can create value versus taking a straight line right here. I believe the relationship is what’s important here. And if this athlete can’t see that, then it’s probably time to move on.” After this, the six-part Netflix docuseries cuts to Shaquille O’Neal sitting in a room alone and talking about the missed opportunity to sign Ace Bailey. “Had the opportunity to sign Ace Bailey, but he’s a very expensive ticket. I don’t even want to have that conversation. So, now it’s just back to the drawing board.”

To add salt to Reebok’s wounds, on Nov. 18, 2024, Bailey inked a contract with Nike. Alongside his then-Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper, he joined other stars like Jazzy Davidson, Jerzy Robinson, and AJ Dybantsa, an exclusive group of athletes to represent the swoosh brand worldwide. That left Reebok empty-handed again.

By early 2025, Shaq had shifted focus back to Reese’s “Reebok by Angel” line and moved to sign up-and-comers DiJonai Carrington (Jan 2025), Nate Ament (Mar 2025), and high-school phenom Dink Pate (Apr 2025), determined to prove that Reebok’s next star need not carry a sky-high price tag

Shaquille O’Neal gets emotional after 2025 MVP’s snub

Last year, the OKC Thunder guard was busy leading his team to the playoffs and off the court, too; his hands were full. SGA’s expiring Converse deal became the NBA sneaker market’s marquee free‑agency storyline. That’s when O’Neal thought the chance to sign the Canadian superstar. But, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Converse agreed to a multi-year contract extension reportedly worth $15 million guaranteed. This also makes him the Creative Director of Converse Basketball.

Losing the 26-year-old to rivals, who since 2003, are a subsidiary brand of Nike, made the Big Aristotle emotional. “Not signing SGA kind of hurt me personally.” Why? “It’s personal because it’s a challenge, and I don’t like feelings. Now we had to rethink. I know SGA—we could have definitely made him a megastar. No knock against Converse, but forget him,” Shaquille O’Neal explained.

Missing out on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stung, not just as a setback but as a personal blow. Just like not signing Ace Bailey to the Reebok family. But with Angel Reese at the helm and the addition of DiJonai Carrington, Nate Ament, and Dink Pate show Shaq is not stopping in his plans to push the brand to the top spot.