“All the baddies wear Reebok.” It was more than a promotional slogan; in fact, an emphatic statement from Angel Reese. Her mentor on the path to excellence? Shaquille O’Neal himself. So when he became President of Reebok Basketball, his marquee signing was always going to be the Chicago Sky forward. According to the Lakers legend, the proposition was straightforward, thanks to Nike’s unfair treatment of A’ja Wilson.

On a recent New Heights podcast, Shaq explained why he secured Reese’s Reebok deal. “We launched our first shoe, Engine A, and the first signee I had to make was Angel Reese because I know her. So I went to (her and) said, ‘Listen, I could do something nobody’s going to do for you.‘” Naturally, the 23-year-old wanted to know what different opportunity was waiting for her.”So I can give you your own shoe. You want to go to Nike and wear everybody else’s shoe, or you want to have your own shoe.”

Expanding on that conversation, Shaq cited three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson as an example. “Like it took A’ja Wilson, the best player in the league, she’s been in the league, I don’t know how long, but she just now got her first shoe. I said, “I can do that for you right away.” So, that was my first signing.” The Big Aristotle’s correct assessment eventually landed her the Bayou Barbie.

Just last year, Nike announced A’ja Wilson’s Nike A’One sneaker and apparel line. Having signed with Nike in 2018, she waited six years for her own shoe line. Whereas Angel Reese signed a multi-year endorsement extension with Reebok, the brand confirmed to ESPN in 2024. It promised her a signature shoe debut in 2026, just two years into the league.

Despite Shaquille O’Neal’s concern, Nike came through for A’ja Wilson

Since signing with Reebok in October 2023, Reese has fronted the Engine A launch. It’s Reebok’s first in-court performance shoe in a decade, and it teased a forthcoming signature model. Her player-exclusive ‘Clouds’ colorway nods to her ‘Sky’ team identity. Apart from this, her first Reebok performance basketball sneaker, the Engine A “Pretty Gritty,” dropped just a few days ago. The design features Black Cherry and Pink Blast accents, and fans can buy these shoes for $120 in adult sizes. But fans had trouble buying the A’One sneaker.

A month prior, Nike released A’ja Wilson’s shoe on May 6, and people couldn’t get enough of them. After years of anticipation, Nike dropped a high-profile ad featuring Wilson, leveraging her star power. Because the shoes sold out before many people could even complete their transactions. It only took four minutes, yes, four minutes is all it took for Nike to put up a ‘come back later’ sign.

So the proposal from Shaquille O’Neal was absolutely bang on. For context, look at Caitlin Clark’s situation with the Swoosh brand. The Fever guard signed an 8-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Nike in April last year. But there has been no concrete update on the launch of her signature collection. Definitely, a win for Reebok to cash in on their star player Angel Reese early!