Shaquille O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic as the No. 1 pick in the 1992 Draft. The LSU big man was pretty much a consensus first pick and had a chip on his shoulder for being not invited to the Dream Team, losing the collegiate spot to Christian Laettner. Coming out of college he possessed the rare combination of strength, size, athleticism, and charisma. It was all these factors that made him a winning signing by Reebok.
The Big Aristotle and Reebok would create some popular models starting with their first creation, the Shaq Attaq. His first signature model would be the pair he wore during his rookie campaign. He would go on to have a huge impact on the league and the Magic during that time. Shaq finished the season averaging 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game, with the latter two marking career highs. He was also a part of the All-Star game alongside some of the best players the league has ever seen. He was the main reason the Magic were a tie-breaker away from the Playoffs with a year-over-year win increase of 20. It was no surprise that he was awarded the Rookie of the Year award.
Reebok, SHAQ, and the Orlando Magic had a great start to their relationships. The colors of the team worked great with the big man whose personality transcended the sport. Although the ending of the relationship with the Magic and even Reebok was not the best, you can’t deny the fantastic rookie year that he had.
Aaron Nojima
