NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson are returning to Reebok decades after signing with the brand early in their careers. Now, the pair will lead the basketball division with newly created management positions.
According to Boardroom, O’Neal signed to Reebok in 1992 with the Orlando Magic during his rookie year. Three decades later, the 51-year-old will serve as president of basketball. As for Iverson, he joined the brand in 1996 with the Philadelphia 76ers and will work alongside O’Neal as vice president.
Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky started with the company around the same time as O’Neal, holding several positions before being appointed chief executive in 2022. During an interview with Boardroom, he talked about having two of the NBA’s most iconic athletes in management roles with the brand.
“Being at the company for such a long time, one of the things I’m most proud about, is a lot of brands have relationships with their athletes and endorsers. Usually they’re giving them product in perpetuity and having them come to events and appearances,” Krinsky told the outlet. “With this, we’re actually bringing two of our legacy athletes together and having them be in real management positions within our company,” adding, “It’s a new move in our industry that hasn’t been done before.”
Meanwhile, O’Neal plans to use his connections for player recruitment and business development.
“A big part of my role will be leveraging my network to build bridges, connect the brand with players, and help those players develop through their partnership with Reebok,” O’Neal noted.
The Newark native teased his newly appointed presidential role in a Friday post on his Instagram account.
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Iverson will work closely with O’Neal on player recruitment while focusing on the brand’s “grassroots and community initiatives.” The 48-year-old will also hold his annual Iverson Classic High School showcase, per Boardroom.
Authentic Brands Group initially acquired Reebok from Adidas for roughly $2.46 billion in 2022. According to Footwear News, O’Neal was named the second-largest individual shareholder in the company.
Nick Woodhouse, president and CMO of Authentic Brands Group, discussed how O’Neal’s presence would steer Reebok in the right direction, starting with basketball.
“The gravity of this announcement is when you think about how precious Shaquille’s time is,” Woodhouse said. “He’s one of the most sought after advertisers, endorsers, announcers, collaborators and business people in the world. This is Shaquille’s time that he could be doing something else with. He has chosen to spend a great deal of time with us, and that shows how important it is to Shaquille and how important it is to us. We want Reebok to take its rightful place, not just in the NBA, but in global basketball.”
