Shaq Says He’s Sold ‘Over 120 Million Pairs Of Affordable Shoes’
Charlie Carballo
Executive Digital Director
An affordable shoe is no laughing matter for Shaquille O’Neal.
The 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer thumbed his nose at critics of his Wal-Mart footwear line in a Facebook post on Friday, praising his history of producing budget-friendly shoe options.
“Laugh all you want, the Shaq brand has sold over 120 millions pairs of affordable shoes for kids @Walmart,” the baller captioned a photo shared on the social networking website.
The outing was a very casual one for O’Neal, who was dressed head-to-toe in black sweats and Toms shoes.
The seven-footer is seen towering over a rack of his sneakers at the retail chain, pointing to his Shaq Zip-Up Basketball and Shaq Retro High-Top models.
On the retail giant’s website, his Shaq sneakers are sold for as low as $12.70, and his Reebok Shaq Attaq line is listed at $67.99.
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O’Neal has been a leader in aligning his name with low-cost footwear manufacturers since his partnership with Payless ShoeSource in 2004. At the time, his Dunkman athletic sneakers were sold for under $40.
The athlete wore Reebok for much of his career on the court, winning championship titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
Still, one of the lowest cost options for footwear from an NBA star came from ex New York Knicks player Stephon Marbury, who in 2006 endorsed a range of Starbury One kicks priced as low as $14.98 through former retail chain Steve & Barry.
But it’s Michael Jordan and his Nike-Air Jordan lines that demand one of the highest retail and resale values for athlete endorsed sneakers, costing around $200 at retailers and markups at more than 4,000 percent.
Of course, Jordan and Nike aren’t the only shoes that have ballooned the resale market. Kanye West’s Adidas Yeezy sneakers are in such high demand that industry watchdogs say the footwear has one of the highest occurrences of fraudulent sales in the marketplace.
