Shaquille O’Neal’s story of how he rose to dominance during his NBA career, then transitioned into a business powerhouse, has been a massive one.
The former NBA star actually made an important decision in terms of creating his own shoe line, moving away from the model set by athletes like Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Typically, those brands charge up to $200 for a pair of sneakers from their popular lines, but Shaq chose to create affordable sneakers for kids instead. As a result, the move found his brand obtaining a faster reach worldwide. In a post that went viral in 2016, Shaq received some hate for his sneaker line, with many turning their nose up at the sneakers that could be commonly seen in spaces like Walmart, Target, and more. Shaq’s sneaker line created shoes that were sold for as low as $12. Shaq isn’t one to fall back from haters though, as he responded via Facebook by saying, “Laugh all you want, the Shaw brand has sold over 120 million pairs of affordable shoes for kids.”