Shaq Wore a Reebok Jacket to Nike. It May Have Cost Him an Offer

Every founder knows the value of leverage, and Shaq’s team had plenty of it. Before the future Hall of Famer played an NBA game, Leonard Armato, who negotiated his first footwear deal, tried to pit Nike against Reebok in a bidding war. The plan, he wrote in his book Maximize, was simple: visit both companies, compare their offers and use the rivalry to push for the best possible terms. However, Armato says the fallout may have cost Shaq a better long-term partner.

Shaq came into the league being told his size would hold him back. He told Inc. that a marketing professor once told him that “big guys don’t sell.” “Coming out, I kind of believed it,” he said.

However, Armato didn’t. Shaq explained that whatever endeavor he wanted to pursue, Armato always stood behind him and worked to get it done. So when Shaq said he wanted a shoe line, Armato’s answer was simple: ‘I’ll work on it and I’ll get it done.” That confidence gave Shaq reason to trust Armato with the plan.

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Armato recalls that when he and Shaq arrived at Reebok there were hundreds of employees waiting outside in T-shirts that read “We want Shaq,” and the company soon presented a formal offer that included a signature line, stock in Reebok and, at Armato’s insistence, ownership of Shaq’s own logo. 

By then, Shaq was leaning toward Reebok, but he told Inc. he still wanted to hear what Nike had to say—and he didn’t want to be disrespectful by skipping the meeting, in case the company came with something.

Before they left, Reebok gave Shaq a letterman jacket in his size. A week later, Shaq wore that same jacket to Nike.