When Shaquille O’Neal took the reins as President of Basketball Operations at Reebok, he didn’t waste time setting his mission straight: “Take over the world with Reebok.” With Allen Iverson by his side and even his son Shareef onboard, Shaq was ready to shake the sneaker world. But what made it different was the heart behind it. Because for Shaq, it wasn’t about flashy branding—it all started with a personal decision he made 27 years ago, walking away from a massive $40 million deal.

The whole thing kicked off in 1998 with a moment that hit closer to home than any boardroom pitch. Shaq ran into a frustrated mother who scolded him over his $100 sneakers, pointing out that most families couldn’t afford them. That was all it took. Known for tipping waiters with thousand-dollar tips, Shaq went a step further here, cutting ties with Reebok right then and there, sacrificing $40 million just to keep his sneakers affordable.

However, not everyone at home was buying into the mission—literally. Surprisingly, Shaq’s own kids weren’t exactly repping their dad’s kicks with pride. During a recent episode of his Big Podcast, the Hall of Famer laughed while admitting, “Listen, I hate it to this day when they used to call me and say, ‘Hey, Dad, could you buy me some Jordans?’”

Naturally, Shaq had to ask, “I’m like, what about the Shaqs?” But his kids didn’t hold back. “Oh, the Shaqs are at Walmart, Dad. They’re cheap. I’m like, what?” he recalled. While Michael Jordan famously banned his kids from rocking rival brands, Shaq never played that game. But he did have a rule.

That rule came into play one day at the mall. “My son said, ‘I want to get some Jordans.’ I said, ‘Well you’re gonna have to donate ten pairs of your old shoes,’” Shaq shared on The Jordan Harbinger Show. “And he actually did. Him and my other son. They went down to the goodwill, and they just donated their stuff.” For Shaq, it’s never been about basketball stats or brand loyalty. “We don’t even talk basketball… what’s important to me is that they build, but I started.”

While that’s that, let’s circle back a little.

$40 million rejection changed Shaquille O’Neal’s perspective

Shaquille O’Neal didn’t just walk away from a sneaker deal—he walked straight into something way bigger. After hearing a frustrated mom call him out over the high price tag of his Reebok shoes, Shaq made a bold move. “That day, I cut ties with Reebok,” he shared on the Full Send Podcast.

The woman wasn’t impressed with his fame or his offer of $2,000 either. Instead, she hit him with a question that stuck: “Why do you make shoes that kids can’t even afford?” Naturally, that moment hit home for the big man. “I said keep the money… this ain’t right,” Shaq recalled. But she didn’t.

From that day on, he made it his mission to design something different. So he teamed up with Walmart, launched his own line, and gave kids sneakers that didn’t burn a hole in their parents’ wallets. And to this day, that affordable line is still going strong.

During a 2021 interview, Shaq revealed just how big his budget-friendly brand has become. “I was in all stores and my price point for the shoes was $29-$19, and since then we sold over 400 million pairs,” he said, according to Yahoo Finance. He nailed the balance perfectly. “It’s not that kids don’t want to wear $20 shoes. They don’t want to wear shoes that look like they cost $20.”

Even now, the shoes, priced between $15 and $30, are still flying off Walmart shelves, according to The Sports Rush. And people are noticing. When the story of Shaq’s gesture surfaced on Reddit, it racked up over 114,000 upvotes. The comments said it all: “one of the biggest philanthropic athletes out there,” and “a model human being.”