Shaquille O’Neal on Making Affordable Shoes: “As a 49 year old man I would have been ashamed to sell my baby shoes for $ 160, $ 180, $ 200”

Shaquille O’Neal is an athlete who is not just looking to make a lot of money, but wants to help the community while he does. However, this moral epiphany didn’t come to him one day, it was a woman outside the Orlando Magic arena, who brutally reminded Shaq how unreasonable he was selling his sneakers. It was an incident that marked him, and if it hadn’t been for that, Shaq might have continued down the path most NBA players have taken.

What happened outside of the Orlando arena?

Shaq has won a lot as a professional basketball player. However, the ventures he dipped his toes into off the pitch made him an even richer man. And like most players, being a sneaker enthusiast, he also had his own shoes that sold like hot cakes. However, the problem was that they weren’t as economical as they should have been. And that awareness came to her, thanks to this lady.

In the “Complete Shipment” podcast, Shaq revealed that one day he was outside the arena in Orlando when a woman chose to confront him about his overpriced sneakers. In fact, she was brutal and made the former NBA player think of making children’s shoes more affordable.

So he turned down his lucrative $ 40 million deal with Reebok and instead opted to launch his own brand. A brand that would sell sneakers to a different market niche, and for a paltry $ 19 to just $ 29.

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Has Shaquille O’Neal heard of the woman yet?

It was a big change in O’Neal’s business plan. So, during his last sneaker purchases with Complex, he was asked questions about the woman and whether he was in contact with her or not. “No no no..,” Shaq responded. “But everything happens for a reason. I think it was a blessing in disguise. She was right. We shouldn’t charge these babies more than $ 100, $ 200, $ 250. Babies who wear them cannot afford them.

Shaq said he was extremely proud to sell his shoes and didn’t want to make fun of other people for doing it the other way around. However, he also said, “Personally, as a 49 year old man, I was ashamed to sell my baby shoes for $ 160, $ 180, $ 200. I know a lot of kids get teased for wearing my shoes. But if you look at my shoes they don’t look like they cost $ 29 and I’m proud of them.

O’Neal’s humble nature has helped him truly understand the struggle of the average man. It’s these little compromises and these changes that we can work on, to make the world a little better. And if Shaq can do it, so can the others. Do not you think?

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