Shaquille O'Neal On Why Young Athletes Will Sign For Reebok Over Nike: 'Everybody’s Gonna Give You The Money, But Can They Give You Your Own Shoe?'

Shaquille O'Neal took over as the President of Basketball Operations for Reebok in October 2023. He joined forces with Allen Iverson, who came on board as the Vice-President, to resurrect Reebok Basketball and gain relevance in the market once again. They released a six-part Netflix docuseries as part of their vigorous marketing campaign. 

O'Neal addressed several aspects of the brand in the series. From why young athletes will prefer signing with Reebok to bringing Angel Reese on as their first athlete, O'Neal gave an access pass for going behind the scenes of everything that happened in relaunching the brand. In the very first episode of the series, O'Neal explains why young players would prefer signing with Reebok and the relevance of the sneaker culture in the sport. 

"When we make the show, I can guarantee it’s going to be on the shelf. Nike can’t do that,” O’Neal said in an episode of Netflix’s Power Moves. 

“Everybody’s gonna give you the money, but can they give you your own shoe?”

According to Statista, 18% more sneaker owners were familiar with the Reebok brand due to their marketing campaign till March 2024, within six months of O'Neal joining the company. Beyond Angel Reese, Reebok has also signed the 2024 first-round draft pick Matas Buzelis from the Chicago Bulls, as well as the young rising star Nate Ament, to their basketball roster.

Notable Active NBA Players Who Have Their Own Signature Sneaker Shoes

This trend of signing brand endorsement deals and making your own signature shoe goes back to the Michael Jordan era. While Nike dominates the sneaker market for basketball athletes, Adidas, Puma, and Under Armour are some other key companies in the sneaker business. 

Nike's current roster includes signature shoes for many athletes, like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Ja Morant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and more. Their female players include A'ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu from the WNBA. They also include sub-brands like Converse and Jordan under their umbrella. They are estimated to hold 65.1 % of the market in terms of NBA players wearing their shoes in the 2022-23 season.

Adidas makes signature shoes for an elite list of guards in the NBA. Most notable of them include James Harden, Anthony Edwards, Trae Young, and Donovan Mitchell.  They are estimated to hold 10.8% of the market share in terms of NBA players wearing their sneakers. 

Puma, Under Armour, ANTA, and Reebok are minority market players in the NBA. Puma has Tyrese Haliburton and LaMelo Ball as their most notable signature athletes in the NBA. Meanwhile, Under Armour has Stephen Curry, and Anta Sports has Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.

Therefore, O'Neal intends to revive their position in the market to where they were before they were sold to Nike in 2003. He wants to target the young athletes at a nascent stage since the market for veterans now seems saturated.