Shoe and apparel company Reebok has named Los Angeles Lakers legend, and their first ever signature athlete, Shaquille O’Neal as their President of Basketball. It is a newly created position that comes as Reebok looks to re-establish itself in the sports world after leaving Adidas.
Authentic Brands Group acquired Reebok in 2022, something that was pushed for by the Los Angeles Lakers legend ever since he had invested in the group back in 2015. Shaq is now the second largest individual shareholder in ABG and is looking forward to to growing the Reebok brand in their own way, as he told Nick DePaula of Boardroom:
“We just want to do things differently,” O’Neal told Boardroom. “That’s what we were best known for back then and what we want to stay true to now […] 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.”
And Shaq isn’t the only big name on board as fellow Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was named Vice President of Reebok Basketball with the Lakers legend excited to work with the basketball legend:
“AI is a founding father of Reebok Basketball and has left a lasting impact on the game and its surrounding culture,” added O’Neal. “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.”
Making an imprint within the basketball world that is dominated by Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas and Under Armour, among others, will not be easy and Reebok does not plan on being like everyone else. Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky insists that the company will do things their own way as Reebok always has done:
“We do not want to go in, and two years from now be playing the same game [as other brands] — where we have a signature shoe and then this Shaq thing fades out,” said Krinsky. “That’s not what we’re going to do. We’re going to be disruptive, and go into the marketplace with a very Reebok mantra that we’ve always had in basketball.”
More and more athletes are making their marks in the business world off the court and Shaquille O’Neal, like many other Lakers legends, continues to be at the forefront.
Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal wants to bring expansion NBA team to Las Vegas
Taking over Reebok Basketball is a huge undertaking for Shaq, but he has other plans already as he wants to jump into the sports ownership world and wants to bring an expansion NBA team to Las Vegas.
And the Lakers legend made it clear that he doesn’t just want to be a minority owner as part of a large group, he wants to be the group himself and be in control.
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