Shaq Attaq: A History of Shaquille O'Neal's Reebok Signature Line

It’s often been said in the basketball sneaker industry that “big men cant sell sneakers”. But there have been a few exceptions to that rule, perhaps none more obvious than Shaquille O’Neal. In the guard and forward dominated signature sneaker market with the Michael Jordans, Penny Hardaways and LeBron Jameses of the world, the center position has certainly not gotten as much love when it comes to brands dishing out signature sneaker deals.

But Shaquille O’Neal was no ordinary center. With the hype surrounding his entrance into the NBA in 1992 and the dominant game to back it up, Shaq was quickly rewarded with a signature shoe deal with Reebok, who was then an unproven upstart in the basketball sneaker market. The gamble paid off for Reebok, as Shaq would go on to become the most marketable big man in the history of the game—a success on and off the court—who had no problem moving units of his signature “Shaq Attaq” sneaker line. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Shaq put Reebok on the map in the basketball world, and was the catalyst for the bold design language that the brand would become known for throughout the 90’s.

From the first Shaq Attaq model which debuted in 1992, to his last Reebok model in 1998, Shaquille O’Neal was a major force in the basketball sneaker world and proved all the naysayers of the center position’s ability to sell sneakers wrong.

Thanks to Reebok Classic, the Shaq Attaq IV returned to the shelves in 2013 for the first time since its original release in 1995. Let's take a detailed look at Shaquille’s first four signature shoes, all under the "Shaq Attaq" moniker. While his line with Reebok would continue after the Attaq series, producing great models like the iconic Shaqnosis and beefy Preacher, it was these first four Shaq Attaq sneakers that laid the foundation for the most successful big man signature line in history.