How One Complaint Sparked Affordable Footwear For Millions

In a pivotal moment, back in 1998, then-Magic basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal made a transformative decision after a woman confronted him about the steep prices of the shoes he endorsed. The woman was a mother of a teenager, and due to Shaquille O’Neal’s stardom, shoes endorsed by him were in high demand by the kids. She questioned him about why athletes charged so much for sneakers, making them unaffordable for many families. The superstar took her words to heart and decided to forgo a huge deal with the sportswear giant and decided to make affordable options for families.

How did Shaquille O’Neal start his own shoe brand?

According to The Sports Rush, in 1998, during an appearance on the Full Send Podcast, the former 2-time scoring title winner recollected a memorable interaction he had with a mother from back in 1998. Leaving the Orlando Magic arena, she was complaining to Shaq about high shoe prices. Feeling guilty, the then-Magic youngster offered the lady all the money he had in his wallet.

“I’m leaving the arena one day, and this lady is ripping me a new one,” O’Neal said on the Full Send Podcast. “‘You’re charging these babies all this money for the shoes.’ I had like $2,000 in my pocket, and I was like, ‘Ma’am. I don’t make the prices. Here you go.'”

From that day, Shaq ended up cutting ties with Reebok and collaborated with Walmart to create his own shoes and sell them between the $15-$30 range.

What’s more, at the time, Shaq, who was 26 years of age, opened his wallet and gave the mother $2,000. He also made the decision to take his talents to Walmart to start making his own shoes that were affordable. He also walked away from a $40 million shoe deal with Reebok. 

“That day, I cut ties with Reebok,” he said on the podcast, according to Footwear News. “I said keep the money… this isn’t right. I’ll still wear the shoes I do during the season, but I’ll be looking to do my own thing. So, I started the Shaq brand. I went to my favourite store, Walmart, and we did a deal.”

To combine style with affordability, Shaquille O’Neal enlisted Reebok designers to craft high-quality, fashionable footwear. This initiative led to the sale of over 400 million pairs, offering budget-friendly options for families nationwide and showcasing Shaq’s dedication to giving back through his business endeavours.