We didn’t get that Shaq to Knicks fantasy but we still get to see what that would’ve looked like. Shaquille O’Neal arrived in Manhattan And created a frenzy. In a great way that is. All day sightings of Shaq’s Manhattan takeover were doing the rounds of social media. Now we know why. The big-hearted big guy was doing what he does best – make a bunch of kids very happy. Pretty soon we’re going to see the Shaq brand of spreading joy go global.

Joined by his son, Shareef, Shaq arrived in the famed Hoops Academy NYC in Downtown Brooklyn with gifts for the little hoopsters. The academy shared glimpses of this visit on its official pages, writing, “BIG vibes at Hoops Academy today 🔥 Shaquille O’Neal pulled up to our gym to show love to the kids! 🏀💪 An unforgettable moment for our young hoopers in Brooklyn — learning, laughing, and getting inspired by one of the greatest to ever do it. 🙌” 

The kids in the ‘Hoop Klub’ went crazy. Like, O’Neal personally directed these kids take a seat to let the main event begin.

They said that, “Shaq pulls up to share his secrets to success at Hoops Klub.” The secret was in a little pep talk. He made them chant with him, “I will be the best player ever,” and, “I will listen to my mommy and my daddy.”  Shaq would also never skip the chance to make the kids promise they will listen to their parents.

He also ensured they will listen to their coaches. They got to implement this lesson right away with chants of “Thank you Coach Shaq.”

The highlight which the kids probably won’t ever forget is when O’Neal gifted sneakers to these kids. The kids all lined up to personally receive a sneaker from Shaq who was asking each one their size.

They and their parents also got to take pictures with him and Shareef. The coaches too were kid-like excited around Shaq till they had the chance to dunk over (to be fair the rims are kid-high).

Shareef had his own fun. He got to show of his ball handling skills, film a few cool hoops Reels among the kids and post them on his Stories.

O’Neal concluded the visit by signing a decal of his own quote, “I never worry about the problem. I worry about the solution.” A great day not just for the young hoopers of NYC but also Shaq himself after some pretty big news.

Shaq’s taking the same energy overseas

Shaquille O’Neal once rejected the Knicks because he didn’t want to deal with New York’s non-giant-friendly infrastructure and traffic. Yet he’s been in these parts frequently in recent months while he films Gravesend. The last time he was around was during the NBA playoffs and he stopped by a Chamber Magic show.

Amid all these hectic schedules, O’Neal pulled off something huge. He just signed an international retail deal to bring his eponymous sneaker brand to Turkiye. The deal is a reported $480 million! 

Shaq walked away from Reebok in 1998 to launch his own affordable sneaker line for all ages and sizes. He sold over 100 million pairs through Walmart and Lowe’s. He’s back at Reebok as an executive but continues to sell his inexpensive sneakers that don’t retail higher than $40.

During his Hoops Academy visit, he distributed the same shoes with the Dunkman logo. There is some inside joke going on between the kids and Shaq because any time they were asked to rate the sneakers on a scale of 1 to 10, they said, “Six-seven.” Whatever that’s supposed to mean, it’s definitely not that these shoes don’t deserve a score higher than 7.

The Shaq brand sneakers have built their reputation in a cutthroat sneaker market for their high quality materials and eye-catching designs. The general consensus by the little sneaker reviewers of Hoops Academy NYC was that these sneakers are “fire.”

We anticipate a similar response when the shoes arrive in Turkiye. Details of that deal aren’t known but what’s confirmed is that O’Neal is pulling a similar visit to the kids in Turkiye soon.