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Shaq sacrificed $40m Reebok payday after a mom scolded him for selling shoes poor kids couldn't afford

The mom's criticism made the former basketball champion realize that kids need affordable shoes, marking a turning point.

Shaq sacrificed $40m Reebok payday after a mom scolded him for selling shoes poor kids couldn't afford
Former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal at the Reebok Classic Breakout Classic Rap Roundtable at Philadelphia University on July 9, 2014. (Cover Image Source: Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Reebok)

In recent decades, the world of glitz and glam has collided with commerce as many celebrities take the entrepreneurial plunge. From alluring beauty brands to unique clothing lines, their products captivate us while burning a hole in our wallets. While many love to buy from these star-studded ventures, the high-end price tags often disappoint them. But former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal might not be your typical profit-oriented businessman. He revealed during the Full Send Podcast show in 2021 why he rebuffed an expensive business deal with Reebok, and it makes a lot of sense.

Former NBA basketball player Shaquille O'Neal poses with Reebok sneakers at the Reebok Classic Breakout at Philadelphia University on July 9, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Image Source: Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Reebok)
Former NBA basketball player Shaquille O'Neal poses with Reebok sneakers at the Reebok Classic Breakout at Philadelphia University on July 9, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Image Source: Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Reebok)

There was a time when the former NBA player was offered a staggering $40,000,000 deal with Reebok. Any sportsman would love to accept it, but not Shaq. He was confronted by a young mom who made him realize the importance of affordability in business. In the podcast, he revealed that while walking out of an arena, this woman reprimanded him, pointing out how expensive his shoes were and how many of his young fans couldn't afford them. He tried to explain to her that he wasn’t the one deciding the prices and offered her $2,000 on the spot. But she "smacked" the money right back at his hand and asked, "Why don't you make a shoe that's affordable?"

Pondering over this incident, the basketball champion—who is now an esteemed entrepreneur and sports analyst—said to himself, "You know what? She's right." That was the moment he decided to "cut ties" with Reebok and make a difference. "I said keep the money, this ain’t right. I’ll still wear the shoes I do during the season, but I’ll be looking to do my own thing," he said. This incident inspired the birth of the Shaq brand, which sells affordable shoes. "I went to my favorite store, Walmart, and we did a deal. I was in all stores and my price point for the shoes was $29-$19 and since then we sold over 400 million pairs.” Shaq explained. 


 
 
 
 
 
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The interesting part is that the former NBA player ensured his young fans would enjoy the satisfaction of wearing high-end shoes. He hired designers from Reebok for his Walmart venture to create cost-effective shoes that resembled the look and feel of luxury brands. "It’s not kids that don’t want to wear $20 shoes, they don’t want to wear shoes that look like they cost $20," Shaq pointed out. He didn’t care how much money he might lose with this venture—he just wanted his young fans to "look good and feel good" in those $20 shoes.



 

Time and again, the basketball legend has demonstrated not only his acumen in entrepreneurship and investments but also his desire to make a difference in people's lives. In 2021, through his goodwill venture, The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, he joined Soles4Souls and Reebok to distribute brand new shoes to elementary school children in Henry County, Georgia, as per Fox 5 Atlanta. Five hundred new pairs of shoes were offered to the kids of Wesley Lakes Elementary School. It was a tough year following the COVID-19 pandemic and Shaq said, "The two things that really hurt me this year were seeing 40 million people out of work, and I hate seeing kids who don't have what they need."

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