Late last year, LSU Tigers' superstar forward Angel Reese became the face of Reebok when she was signed by Shaquille O'Neal.
The Suns' Devin Booker signed a long-term deal with Nike in 2018 through to 2029 worth $50 million, but the launch of his signature shoes, 'Nike Book 1,' last September was limited to 500 pairs, leading to fan complaints and a rumored outpour of dissatisfaction by Booker himself.
Shaquille O'Neal, the Reebok President of Basketball, saw an opportunity and decided to try and recruit the Phoenix Suns star to Reebok from Nike with a cheeky message on Instagram:
"I know y'all aren't happy with the sneaker launch," said O'Neal. "You should come with Reebok. We just getting started. Hit me."
The $400 million worth Shaq was backed by the $1.7 million NIL-valued Angel Reese, who reposted Shaq's post on her Instagram stories:
Booker took to Instagram to dispel the rumors about his reported dissatisfaction with Nike, blaming the publication "Complex" for making up the narrative.
“When Complex creates a fake narrative about you and now Shaq is recruiting you to Reebok,” Booker wrote.
How Shaq once left Reebok
Shaquille O'Neal signed on with Reebok in 1992, and they released some iconic shoes together with 'Shaq Attack' and 'Shaqnosis' being the most well-known ones. In 1998, O'Neal walked away from the company, leaving $40 million on the table.
During an appearance on "Full Send Podcast," he explained why he left Reebok:
"I had a Reebok deal, 40 for 5. And, I'm leaving the area one day and this lady, she's ripping me into half. 'You motherf***ers! You're charging these babies all this money for these shoes.' So, I had like $2,000 in my pocket and I was like 'Ma'am, I don't make the prices, here you go.' And, she smacked the money in my hand, 'Why don't you motherf***ers make a shoe that's affordable?'
"And, I thought about it and I was like, you know what, she's right. So, that day, I cut ties with Reebok," O'Neal said.
Angel Reese personally recruited by Shaq
The first order of business for Shaquille O'Neal when he returned to Reebok was to personally recruit LSU forward, Angel Reese to boost her already incredible NIL portfolio.
During the announcement of the deal, Shaq was full of praise for Reese becoming the first student-athlete to get a shoe deal with the famous manufacturers.
"There is no one making a bigger impact on the game right now than Angel Reese. For my first appointment in this role, it had to be the GOAT," O'Neal said.
Angel Reese also gets to work with NBA legend Allen Iverson in his capacity as Vice President of Basketball, which will further improve her game as well as her standing in the world of college basketball.
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