Reebok names Shaquille O’Neal as president of basketball

Reebok has appointed its longtime brand partner Shaquille O’Neal as the president of basketball.

The appointment of the newly created position, the company said, comes on the heels of Reebok’s announcement made earlier this month regarding its long-term strategy to re-emerge into team sport and focus on the brand’s global commitment to performance basketball.

“With the combination of Shaquille’s deep-rooted history with Reebok and reigning influence he’s made on the game, there is no one better than this guy to take the helm and lead our brand back to reclaiming its rightful place and dominance in basketball,” said Todd Krinsky, Reebok CEO in a statement.

As Reebok’s president of basketball O’Neal will lead the brand’s basketball category strategy and cultivate partnerships with athletes and organisations in the brand’s quest to return to its position as a dominant force in the sport.

Speaking about his new role, O’Neal added: “We’re back, baby! Get ready.”

In 2021, together with Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) CEO Jamie Salter, and president Nick Woodhouse, O’Neal played a major role in bringing Reebok into the vast portfolio of iconic global brands owned by the company. O’Neal, an Authentic shareholder, is known also for his brand partnership for companies including JCPenney, Papa Johns and Carnival.

“We are proud to further Shaquille’s connection to Reebok as the brand’s new President of Basketball,” said Woodhouse.

In conjunction with O’Neal’s appointment, and to further drive relevance and authenticity in the space, Reebok has appointed longtime brand partner and basketball legend, Allen Iverson, as vice president Reebok Basketball. In his expanded role with Reebok, Iverson will help drive player recruitment, grassroots and community-based initiatives, and athlete activations like the Iverson Classic.