NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson have just been tapped for new jobs.
It has been widely reported that O’Neal has been has been named the company’s first president of basketball, and fellow all-star Iverson was also brought on as the brand’s vice president of basketball.
“We are thrilled to be expanding upon our partnership with Shaquille with this historic appointment,” Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky said in a statement. “With the combination of his 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.”
Krinsky continues in an interview with Boardroom: “Being at the company for such a long time, one of the things I’m most proud about, is a lot of brands have relationships with their athletes and endorsers. Usually they’re giving them product in perpetuity and having them come to events and appearances. With this, we’re actually bringing two of our legacy athletes together and having them be in real management positions within our company. … It’s a new move in our industry that hasn’t been done before.”
O’Neal told Boardroom “We just want to do things differently,” O’Neal told Boardroom. He adds, “That’s what we were best known for back then and what we want to stay true to now.” “A big part of my role will be leveraging my network to build bridges, connect the brand with players, and help those players develop through their partnership with Reebok.”