Shaquille O’Neal may have spent his entire basketball career being an immovable force, but that’s not the only thing Big Diesel rules. His marketability was off the charts. It helped him become a business tycoon, leveraging his image as the selling point. That and his past with Reebok were also an inspiration for him to become the president of the brand. And he is wasting no time hunting for the biggest athletes to revive Reebok again.

It started with WNBA’s Angel Reese. “I just want everybody walking down the street in Reebok. In a perfect world, say yes, please say yes. What is it? In a perfect world, I would like you to debut them against Caitlin Clark.” Shaq knew her from her time at LSU and has followed her journey to the big league, so the confidence is understandable. However, the Big Diesel wants Reebok everywhere, even beyond basketball. And he found the perfect opportunity to lay the groundwork for an exciting project with the NFL’s Travis Kelce.

The Chiefs’ tight end complained about the Nike cleats he wears. His brother and former Eagles center Jason Kelce feels the same. “They’re made so cheap. They don’t feel good. Trav knows this. I’ve been complaining about cleats in the NFL for like the last what 10 years,” he told Shaq.But Shaquille O’Neal didn’t hear the complaints. He heard an opportunity knocking on his door.

Can he bring Reebok back to the NFL with one of the most popular faces in the league? That is his plan, as amidst the complaints, Shaq turned to Travis Kelce. “I don’t know how long your deal is, but whenever y’all want to talk about Kelsey clicks at Reebok, I could f——- walk you in… I’m serious. I could I could walk you in personally. I got the key card,” he told the Kelce brothers on New Heights.

The Kansas City tight end didn’t entirely dismiss the opportunity.

For a decade in the early 2000s, Reebok held an official partnership with the NFL to produce its gear and other equipment. In an effort to revive that branch, they signed QB Justin Fields as their first official NFL athlete. Shaq and Allen Iverson’s influence played a huge role in his choosing the brand.

And now, knowing his influence and the market around the athlete, Shaquille O’Neal is hoping to disrupt the game with Reebok.

Shaquille O’Neal and the Reebok revival

There was a time when Reebok was synonymous with sports. They had some of the major faces, including Shaquille O’Neal, under their wing. The Lakers’ great left in order to create affordable footwear for those who can’t afford high-end brands. But he is now back to transform Reebok and build his legacy. And as president, he is willing to go all out.

“A big part of my role will be leveraging my network to build bridges, connect the brand with players, and help those players develop through their partnership with Reebok,” he told Boardroom.

Without much thought, Shaq began restructuring Reebok by adding a major influence to his team. He appointed Allen Iverson as his vice president. Iverson’s influence on not only Reebok but also young athletes is profound. His charisma, demeanor, and fashion created a movement. That’s exactly the vision he has for AI resuming his partnership with Reebok.

“AI is a founding father of Reebok Basketball and has left a lasting impact on the game and its surrounding culture. There is no one I’d rather work with to bring in a new generation of ballers to Reebok than him. Shaq and AI back at it – feels good,” he added.

But one thing Shaquille O’Neal knows is that the market is much more competitive. Nike and Adidas are hoarding top athletes, giving them the major market share. However, that didn’t matter to Shaq. He had been pushing his group to buy Reebok with the view of wanting to revive the brand. And he wants to stay true to their culture.

“We just want to do things differently. That’s what we were best known for back then and what we want to stay true to now,” says Shaquille O’Neal.

He’s already introduced several initiatives to lure upcoming basketball athletes to Reebok. However, a signing like Kelce could be significant in their vision to do the same with football. Whether he signs or not is not known. But Shaq isn’t about to stop. He’s with Reebok to build on the mark he left all those decades ago. He isn’t going to stop till he gets the brand back to the peak.