Shaquille O’Neal And Allen Iverson Return To Reebok As President & Vice President Of Basketball Division

Shaquille O’Neal

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Retired NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has been named Reebok‘s first president of basketball, the company announced Today October 12.

The company also announced that former NBA point guard and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson would be joining O’Neal‘s efforts as the brand’s vice president of basketball.

Both of the former athletes have longstanding relationships with Reebok as well as its parent company, Authentic Brands Group. ABG bought Reebok for 2.1 billion euros from Adidas in August 2022 (see it here).

The newly created position is part of Reebok‘s attempt to reenter professional performance basketball, the company said.

“We are thrilled to be expanding upon our partnership with Shaquille with this historic appointment,” said Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky. “With the combination of his deep-rooted history with Reebok and reigning influence he’s made on the game, there is no one better than this guy to take the helm and lead our brand back to reclaiming its rightful place and dominance in basketball.”

O’Neal has been a Reebok partner for decades — he signed with the shoe brand ahead of his rookie season back in 1992, which, at the time, was the company’s biggest endorsement deal ever, the statement read.

In his new position, Shaq will lead Reebok‘s basketball strategy and “cultivate partnerships” with teams and athletes to help the brand pick up new relevance and dominance in the professional sport, as well as new brand deals with current players, the news release explained.

“Looking back on my career with Reebok and in basketball, this appointment means everything to me,” O’Neal told WWD. “It’s a reminder of where I’ve come from and what I’ve built. I’m just motivated to make an impact and bring the brand back to the place it belongs in basketball.”

He added that he is also eager to be working closely with AI to build the business. “AI [Allen Iverson] is a founding father of Reebok Basketball and has left a lasting impact on the game and its surrounding culture. There is no one I’d rather work with to bring in a new generation of ballers to Reebok than him. Shaq and AI back at it — feels good.”

Iverson has also been a longtime partner of the shoe company, he signed with Reebok in 1996, ahead of his rookie season and in his new role, is expected to “drive player recruitment, grassroots and community-based initiatives, and athlete activations like the Iverson Classic.”

Allen Iverson

Photos Credit: Courtesy of Reebok

Some quotes were taken from WWD