Shaquille O’Neal is no stranger to turning down a lucrative deal in favor of a bigger vision. Back in 1998, he famously walked away from Reebok’s $40 million contract after a frustrated mother scolded him for selling overpriced sneakers. That encounter pushed him to rethink his approach to business and accessibility. Instead of chasing hefty endorsement checks, Shaq launched his own affordable sneaker line, pricing them at just $40. Partnering with Walmart and Lowe’s, he went on to sell over 100 million pairs, proving that making products accessible could be just as impactful and profitable as exclusivity. More than two decades later, that same philosophy brought him back.

Back at Reebok, but in a different role. In 2021, “The Big Aristotle” returned not as a face of the brand, but as its president of basketball operations. He even brought in Allen Iverson as his VP, reuniting two cultural icons who once defined Reebok’s dominance in the 90s. Yet, Shaq made it clear he wasn’t in a rush to recreate past glory. “The good thing about my pace is I always move in a consistent championship pace. I don’t try to rush in and do this or that,” he explained. Authentic Brands Group could have given him $50 million upfront to chase star athletes, but instead, they made him rebuild from the ground up. “Starting small forces me to prove myself again,” he said. “And that’s exactly how dynasties are built.”

During his conversation with Sports Illustrated’s Kicks On SI, he emphasized how the brand previously took a bet on him and AI when they were young. “Reebok was very successful when I got there, but they believed in a young guy named Shaq, they believed in another young guy named Allen Iverson, and took us to the top. So, we’re going to recreate what we’ve been doing since 1992.” This strategy can be reflected in the sale of their current superstar’s sneakers.

Shaquille O’Neal also holds a minority stake in Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the parent company of Reebok, and let’s not forget—he personally boasts a net worth of around $500 million. That means pulling funds from the start to fuel Reebok’s growth was never really an issue. But instead of throwing money around, Shaq and ABG chose to pace themselves strategically. After all, even with deep pockets, going dollar-for-dollar against giants like Nike ($92.69 billion) and Adidas ($42.94 billion) is a losing battle. For the four-time NBA champion, competing with money has never been the game.

Shaquille O’Neal embraced the challenge of rebuilding Reebok from the ground up, describing it as an opportunity to tap into creativity rather than relying on big checks. “But they wanted to see us work, they wanted to see me work, so we’re working, and we’re looking to sign young players. I think the days of signing all these old players is cool, but it’s only a few old players. And we’re finding some exciting young players, people that are exciting, people that have a nice following, and people that we can grow with. Believe it or not, that’s what Reebok did with us.”

In another interview, Shaq revealed that Angel Reese’s new sneakers are already sold out. “The Angel Reese shoe is doing really well. We’re coming out with some new designs. Sold out.” But not injecting money also led to them facing a cash crunch and missing out on signing two NBA stars who were trending for the last couple of months.

Reebok’s gamble on young stars and the cost of missed signings

This series was shot before this season took place. Keeping in mind the strategy of hiring young stars, Shaquille O’Neal turned towards a then top draft prospect, Ace Bailey. In the docuseries, the 3x Finals MVP admitted to missing the opportunity to sign the young prospect. The reason? Money. “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.” Imagine if they had access to $50 million, they could have signed the guard who was making the headlines, but not for the right reasons.

Bailey had a drama-filled few days after reports surfaced that he refused to work out for any team ahead of the draft. Refusal to work out led him to fall number in the draft as the Utah Jazz took a bet on the rookie. Another player that Reebok missed out on was the 2025 MVP, SGA. In the docuseries, Shaquille O’Neal had plans to sign the Thunder superstar. “If his contract’s up and Converse ain’t taking care of it, I think we should go after it,” Shaq suggested. How much would SGA cost? “High seven figures, potentially eight,” O’Neal was informed.

Later, the dreaded news came to the Lakers legend. In March 2024, SGA re‐upped with Converse on a multi-year extension reportedly worth $15 million guaranteed. The deal also guaranteed the 2025 Finals MVP as the brand’s creative director of basketball. Therefore, Shaquille O’Neal confessed: “Not signing SGA kind of hurt me personally.” No doubt, these signings would have boosted the ranks of Reebok, but now that they have committed to a strategy, hopefully, they won’t lose out on more superstars.