Reebok wants to get its name back in the sports world, and on Wednesday, it said it had hired two Hall of Famers to help it: Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson.
Iverson has been named vice president of basketball at Reebok, and O’Neal has been named president of basketball at the same company. This is a big moment for both the stars and the brand. His name was Shaq Attaq, and he was Reebok’s first signature star. Also, Iverson wore Reebok shoes. His popularity in the early 2000s gave the brand a big boost and an edge.
“AI is one of the founders of Reebok Basketball and has had a lasting effect on the game and the culture surrounding it,” O’Neal said through Boardroom. “I couldn’t think of anyone better to work with to bring in a new group of ballers for Reebok.” “It’s good to see Shaq and AI competing again.”
CEO of Reebok, Todd Krinsky, is excited to have two real basketball stars join the company in an official role.
“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 Boardroom. “With this, we’re actually bringing two of our legacy athletes together and having them be in real management positions within our company. “It’s a new move in our industry that hasn’t been done before.”
Iverson and Shaq will try to get new players, but they will do it in different ways that work for them. Iverson will look for players by focusing on how Reebok works with neighborhood groups and grassroots organizations. Shaq will use his connections to contact, recruit, and keep those players.
O’Neal told Boardroom, “A big part of my job will be to use my network to build bridges, connect the brand with players, and help those players grow through their partnership with Reebok.”
Krinsky began his career at Reebok in the mailroom and has been in several top positions over the last ten years. After the company was sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2022, he was named CEO. To bring the Reebok brand back to life, Krinsky wanted to bring in two of its most famous players as ambassadors, not just as faces of the brand.
“We talked about giving Shaq a strong role where he could have a big impact.” “It wasn’t going to be a consulting job,” Krinsky explained. “He needed to be in the fire with us and help us make plans.” We thought, “Let Shaquille help us run this business.”
If you know Shaq, you know he wants to be in the fire.
“We just want to do things differently,” O’Neal told SB. We want to keep doing what made us famous back then.
