In 1998, then-Magic star Shaquille O’Neal offered $2,000 after his mother complained about his expensive shoes.
Shaquille O’Neal It’s a generational talent the league has witnessed and been blessed with. For nearly 20 years, O’Neal used his 7-foot, 325-pound stature to great advantage, dominating paint like no one had ever seen before.
One of the most talented big men in gaming history, Shaq has managed to come up with a pretty stellar resume. The Lakers legend’s surprisingly long track record includes 15 All-Star appearances, 14 All-His NBA selections, 1993 ROY, 2000 MVP, 4 Championships, and 3 Finals MVPs. increase.
During his time playing, “The Big Aristotle” earned over $286 million. Today, the Hall of Famer’s net worth exceeds his $400 million. Despite being a smart businessman, Diesel doesn’t always put money first.
Also read: 18-year-old Kobe Bryant tried to trick Shaquille O’Neal on a rap rehearsed on the Lakers bus.
This time, O’Neal turned down a lucrative $40 million deal with Reebok after hearing his mother complain about the expensive shoes.
Shaquille O’Neal to launch his own shoe brand
A year ago, when appearing on the Full Send podcast, the former two-time scoring champion recalled a memorable exchange with his mother in 1998. Orlando Her Magic After leaving her arena, she was complaining to Shaq about the high price of her shoes. .
Feeling guilty, the Magic youth at the time offered the woman all the money he had in his wallet.
“One day I leave the arena and this woman is tearing me up with a new one,” says O’Neil Said On the Full Send podcast. “‘You’re————you’re charging these babies for their shoes.’ I don’t put a price on it. please. ‘”
From that day on, Shaq cut ties with Reebok and worked with Walmart to make his own shoes, selling in the $15 to $30 range.
“I thought about it,” said O’Neil Said“I was like, ‘You know what? She’s right. ‘ That day I cut ties with Reebok and launched my own brand.”
“I said, ‘Keep your money. This is not right. So I started the Shaq brand and I went to my favorite store, Walmart, and made a deal, I went to every store and the shoes were priced between $29 and $19. Since then, we’ve sold over 400 million pairs.It’s not that kids don’t want to wear $20 shoes.They don’t want to wear shoes that look like they cost $20.”
With this decision, Shaq proved it wasn’t all about money.
Back in 2016, @SHAQmore than 120 million pairs of “Walmart” shoes have been sold. Today he has sold his 350 million. 👏 pic.twitter.com/3D7MebJAit
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) June 6, 2021
