By Odeisel
Shaquille O’neal retired a 4 time champion with gargantuan numbers from his years of playing in the NBA. Off the hardwood, Shaq had monstrous crossover appeal that led to a few rap albums, a couple movies (Kazaam, ouch) and tons of endorsements. Shaq was always keenly aware of pop culture and the value of the show. He was also a signature athlete who tried to blaze his own trail, both on the court and off. With that, he chose Reebok to be the shoe for his debut season and signed with them before he even signed his NBA contract. Enter the Shaq Attaq 1.
The original came is a very classic Orlando Magic colorway in blue, black and white, with efficient lines, visible reebok branding and Pump technology. Shaq went on the take the league by storm, break backboards (which ultimately led to the reengineering of the basketball stanchion) and win rookie of the year in an era still dominated by the likes of Robinson, Hakeem and Ewing.
On the Reebok side of things, facing the Jordan juggernaut and striking a strong blow with the Pump, they were looking to land a big fish. In 1992, they didn’t come any bigger than Shaq. In the words of Reebok’s VP of Classic, Basketball and Entertainment, Todd Krinsky:
‘What we needed was a larger than life presence, a basketball prodigy that would forever change the game. And, Reebok got Shaq.
Earlier this week, at the Project Trade show in Vegas, Shaq was welcomed back to the Reebok family in anticipation of the April 19th re-release of The Reebok Classic Shaq Attaq and his second shoe, the Reebok Classic Shaqnosis.
Reebok: Project 2013 – Shaq Interview with Swizz Beatz from Digital Wave Media Group on Vimeo.
The legendary Shaq Attaq features Pump technology on the tongue, and the ultimate in lightweight technology, Graphlite. A first of its kind lightweight technology, Graphlite is a plastic, incredibly strong fiber which allows Reebok to strip away heavy rubber to create a sleeker, lighter silhouette, making the shoe much lighter but with added stability. The Reebok Classic Shaq Attaq drops on April 19th for $160 at key retailers including Jimmy Jazz, Shiekh, Villa, City Gear, DTLR, Shoe Palace, and on Reebok.com.
At the time the Reebok Classic Shaqnosis was created, designers were trying to create a shoe with a truly polarizing look for Shaq. The resulting shoe, the Shaqnosis, was a ‘‘love it or hate it’’ model, and the brand fully embraced the controversy the shoe evoked. Debuting for the first time in 1995, Reebok Classic is bringing back the Shaqnosis on July 19th for $125 at key retailers including Finish line, Foot Locker, Jimmy Jazz, Shiekh, City Gear, Shoe Palaceand on Reebok.com.
