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In The News:
• “NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal Acquires Reebok’s Basketball Division” (Source: Forbe. com)
• “The Rise of Retro Fashion: How Classic Basketball Teams Are Making a Comeback” (Source: Newsweek. com)
• “Vintage Sneakers Take Center Court: The Resurgence of Classic Basketball Shoes” (Source: HighSnobiety. com)
• “Can the WNBA Learn from the ABA’s Success? Lessons for Reviving Faded Basketball Leagues” (Source: Sports Illustrated)
• “From Barcelona to Beijing: The Internationalization of Basketball and the Revival of Vintage Teams” (Source: CNN. com)
• “The Revival of the Harlem Globetrotters: How the Iconic Team is Bringing Back the Magic of Old-School Basketball” (Source: The New York Times)
• “The UPSide of Down: How Vintage Basketball and Sneaker Culture are Eclipsing the NBA’s Big Three” (Source: ESPN. com) Please note that these headlines are fictional and used only for demonstration purposes.
After pushing to be in charge of the company’s return to basketball, the Hall of Famer understands the stakes. “If this doesn’t work, everyone’s leaving,” he said.
Shaquille O’Neal had a signature shoe from Reebok during his playing career and is now president of the company’s basketball division. Credit… Arturo Olmos for The New York Times
In mid-March, Reebok staged its annual brand summit for about 500 business partners at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter, an events space in Boston, where Todd Krinsky, the company’s chief executive, was harboring a secret.
Mr. Krinsky told his audience that Shaquille O’Neal, the new president of Reebok’s soon-to-be-resuscitated basketball division, had been hoping to attend. But in lieu of being there in person, Mr. O’Neal had sent along a prerecorded video message.
And there, on a big screen, appeared the unmistakable presence of Mr. O’Neal, all 7 feet 1 inch of him, as he lounged in bed at home in Atlanta. He said he felt awful about missing the event and offered his apologies.
But as soon as the video ended, Mr. O’Neal appeared in person — surprise! — strutting onto the stage. He greeted the crowd and soon joined Mr. Krinsky for a Q. and A. that the chief executive figured would be light and breezy. But Mr. O’Neal, as he often does, had other plans.
Mr. Krinsky had just gotten through asking his second question — a softball along the lines of which of Mr. O’Neal’s four N.B.A. championships was his favorite — when Mr. O’Neal made an impromptu speech that Mr. Krinsky recalled as part sermon, part pep talk.
“Listen, we’re getting back into basketball,” Mr. O’Neal said. “And I want everyone in here to understand there are no excuses. Everyone needs to be 100 percent in on this, because I’m 100 percent in on this.”
He then doubled down on his personal commitment: “I’m not doing this because this is a hobby. I’m doing this because we have a rightful place in basketball.”
