Last year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unknowingly caused a viral beef. Shaquille O’Neal had the opinion that the Thunder guard deserved the MVP trophy over Nikola Jokic. This led to Shannon Sharpe calling out the Lakers legend’s jealousy over fellow centers and even questioning his work ethic. It led to the NBA icon dropping a diss track to prove his point. However, Shaq’s liking towards SGA was not just limited to his MVP case.
Even off the court, there was a lot happening in the 26-year-old’s life. His contract with Converse was about to end, and he would have been a shoe-free agent. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Converse agreed to a multi-year contract extension. The reported fee is $15 million annually and also makes him the Creative Director of Converse Basketball. Since 2003, Converse has been a subsidiary brand of Nike, and the Swoosh, as of May 07, 2025, has a market cap of $ 82.48 billion.
But before the new deal took place, Shaquille O’Neal wanted SGA to be part of the Reebok. The trailer from Netflix about Reebok’s rebrand shed light on Big Aristotle’s plans. “We need somebody great, somebody that makes people go, ‘Oh my God.‘” Then the clip cuts to Angel Reese, who signed with the brand, and then Shaq hints about signing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“SGA, I heard his contract’s up.” Even the team member in the video reminded the Lakers legend about the Canadian star’s value to Converse. “He’s Converse’s premier guy.” Then we cut to the Vice President of the basketball wing of Reebok, saying, “Might be a problem.”
The trailer of ‘Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal’ followed his role with Reebok regrowth. And that’s why at the end of the trailer, Shaq is hyping up the brand. “It’s not gonna be easy relaunching Reebok. We’re going up against major brands. However, we on your a–.” Even though the NBA icon couldn’t sign SGA from rivals, he has a story connected with Nike’s sub-brand.
Shaquille O’Neal used to hurt people because of his Converse shoes
Before going bankrupt and being purchased by Nike, Converse was a force to be reckoned with. Icons like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson led the brand in the past and were a respectable rival to Nike and Reebok. Their influence on the court had no bounds, similar to their off-court impact. One such young boy who donned Converse was none other than Shaquille O’Neal. He even got into fights for wearing those, but not for the reason one may think.
Speaking on Unapologetically Angel with WNBA star Angel Reese, the 4x NBA champion, candidly shared how he was constantly bullied for wearing Converse Buddies. These sneakers, which used to cost $1.99, were popular back then. He then recounted getting into fights with those who mocked him for his shoes. However, he understood that his parents bought him what they could afford. So, he defended himself against his bullies.
“I had like 100 fights because I had wore some shoes cuz that’s all my parents could go for and I used have to beat people up.” From a kid wearing Converse shoes, to now working with Reebok to design kicks. Shaq has a great journey, and with Reebok, he wants to do more. That’s why eyeing up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not a wrong move. Let’s keep an eye out for the Netflix documentary series, and if they spill the beans on why the move did not materialize.
The post Shaquille O’Neal Wanted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Ditch $82 Billion Rivals to Fulfill His Desperate Dream appeared first on EssentiallySports.
