Shaquille O’Neal was a dominant force in the NBA, a 7-foot-1 gentle giant who shattered boards, racked up four titles and left an indelible mark as one of the best centers in basketball history. But since his retirement in 2011, Shaq has shown that his impact goes far beyond sports.
Now, in the business world, from offices and boardrooms, Shaq is focused on remaining the most dominant ever.
Beyond his impressive height, one of O’Neal’s most distinguishing traits is his sense of humor. In the “Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal” Netflix series, which premiered on June 4, he acknowledges that his mindset is “80% humor and 20% seriousness” when it comes to running his businesses. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t take his responsibilities seriously. In fact, he believes that some people tried to exploit his outgoing nature when he first started his business ventures.
“Yes, a lot of people try to take advantage and that just drives me to do more things,” O’Neal told L.A. Times en Español.
He is accustomed to people trying to exploit his perceived weaknesses.
“They always said, ‘With the way he shoots free throws, he’ll never win a championship.’ OK, maybe that’s true, but I’m going to dominate the game so much that free throws don’t even matter.”
He brings the same mentality to his position at Reebok, where he is president of basketball — a position he assumed in 2023 — and is leading a push to bring relevance back to a brand that once bet on him to be a star.
“When I went to Nike, they said, ‘Yeah, we wanted to give you your own sneakers, but we gave them to another guy.’ And I said, ‘Excuse me? To this guy?’ And then when I went to Reebok, they said, ‘We believe in you, we’re going to give you your own shoes,’” O’Neal recalls.
That loyalty was not forgotten. Today, 30 years after signing with Reebok as a player, O’Neal is back, not to launch retro updates of his shoes, but to make decisions, train a new generation of athletes and reshape the brand’s place in a fiercely competitive market.
Shaq didn’t join Reebok’s executive team just for nostalgia’s sake. His vision is clear: Take a chance like they took a chance on him in the 1990s.
“They took a chance on young Shaq. He took a chance on young AI [Allen Iverson]. He took a chance on young Shawn Kemp. And we turned the plan into a dominant number two. Never number one, but never number three,” O’Neal explained.
With that logic, the former player decided not to bet Reebok’s current NBA marketing budget all on one superstar.
“I wanted to go the traditional route. ‘Hey, let’s go for Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. Let’s go for Jaylen Brown.’ But when you talk to agents, these guys want big numbers. … You’re going to spend 85 or 90% of the budget,” O’Neal said.
His team — including his son, Shareef — convinced O’Neal to invest in emerging talent with a strong social media presence and a mindset of their own.
Case in point is WNBA Chicago Sky player Angel Reese, who signed with Reebok in 2023.
“Angel reminds me of AI. She’s going to do it her way, the way she wants to do it. She doesn’t care what anyone else says,” O’Neal said.
He sees Reese not only as a great athlete, but as an influential figure who embodies the disruptive spirit he wants to restore in the Reebok brand.
O’Neal isn’t just impressed by what he sees on the court. He’s looking for something more.
“I’m looking for someone who isn’t getting the recognition he deserves,” he said. “We live in a world where, once they get noticed by one or two guys, they stick with them forever.”
He said he was underestimated in his early days. Despite being selected with the first pick in the 1992 draft and making an immediate impact with the Orlando Magic, he said during early career business meetings “they never looked at me. They always looked at my manager. It was like, ‘Do you think he understands business?’”
That prompted him to study business administration and management and get serious about his financial education.
“I just thought, ‘Let me get a degree … so you know I understand that I’m in charge of my own destiny,’” O’Neal said.
Now, as president of Reebok basketball, he also values athletes’ family ties, their work ethic, their environment and their desire to represent something bigger than themselves.
“I like the people, the moms, the dads, the coaches. People want to be represented in a certain way,” O’Neal said.
He doesn’t presume to have all the answers. He admits he’s had to adapt and learn.
“It’s just about challenges. I’ve always been one to step up to meet them. … I had to learn a lot, learn about this business,” he said.
To appeal to the broadest group of customers, he has relied on a close circle of advisors that includes his son, Shareef.
“I had to bring in my son to help me identify with the crazy Generation Z, because they do what they want. They follow their own path. They have their own rules,” O’Neal said.
While still a strong, determined figure, O’Neal has learned to accept feedback from others.
“I don’t think my best quality is listening,” he admits. But in his new role, he’s had to let go of some of his old-school style and trust his team.
O’Neal was one of the most dominant players the NBA has ever seen. Now he’s one of the most successful athletes in the business world. His investment portfolio includes franchises of businesses such as Papa John’s, Five Guys, 24 Hour Fitness and his own line of products and apparel. He also holds commercial endorsement contracts with brands such as Icy Hot, The General insurance and Carnival Cruises, among others.
But his business success has not been linear.
“On the road to success, there are many failures and you simply have to try to have more successes than failures,” he said.
His secret has been to surround himself with skilled people.
“I have great teammates,” O’Neal said. “My friend wins a championship by herself. It’s called delegation.”
Shaq has turned his image into a global brand, but he insists the key has been staying true to his values. It all revolves around his family.
“I am who you think I am. I realized I couldn’t have done any of this without my family and their blessings,” he says.
He said his faith and personal values help him manage the impact of his success.
“I said it about seven years ago, never call me famous,” O’Neal said. “Celebrities are jerks. I just want to be a normal person. I’m a respectful person. I love kids. I love the elderly. I love helping those in need. I love making people smile. So the answer to the question of how I keep my feet on the ground, you know exactly how I do it: Salaam-alaikum [Peace be upon you], brother.”
Long before he joined he executive team, O’Neal played a major role in Reebok’s success. In the early 1990s, while Nike and Adidas were building giant empires, Reebok bet on O’Neal and Iverson, and managed to position itself as a serious alternative, especially among urban youth. But over time, the brand lost ground.
Now, with O’Neal leading the renaissance of its basketball division, Reebok wants to regain that lost space. It doesn’t intend to compete directly with Nike or Adidas for big stars, but to create an ecosystem of its own.
“It’s not about a gamble. It’s about making the right decision,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal has been many things: NBA champion, most valuable player, All-Star, entrepreneur, commentator, DJ, actor, honorary police officer, philanthropist. But perhaps his most powerful facet is that of a man who builds bridges, pushes others and constantly reinvents himself.
This new movement, he says, is strategic and personal. He is enjoying a reunion with the brand that believed in him and an opportunity to return the favor by helping Reebok connect with customers.
This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.
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