Angering Michael Jordan With Reebok Highlight Failed to Save Ex-NBA Star From Shaquille O’Neal’s Humbling Encounter

Imagine stepping into the NBA as a rookie, winning the dunk contest, and instantly becoming a cultural sensation—not just on the court but in the sneaker world as well. That was Dee Brown’s story in 1991, a player whose “no-look dunk” became an iconic moment in basketball history. The buzz was so massive it even got Michael Jordan’s attention, sparking a competitive streak in him. But while Brown’s victory with his Reebok Pumps sent shockwaves through the league, there was one player he couldn’t conquer—Shaquille O’Neal. Brown recently opened up about this humbling moment.

In a clip shared by theScore, Brown was asked, “Who’s the one guy back when you were playing him that you never dunked on, but that you always wanted to?” Without hesitation, he named Shaquille O’Neal. Brown didn’t just stop there, he shared the painful details too. “He [Shaq] put me on my back one time. He hit me out the air and slammed me,” Brown recalled. Back in the early ’90s, that wasn’t flagged as a major foul. “Of course, that’d be a flagrant today. Oh yeah, pick your teeth up, go through the foul line, shoot your two,” he said.

Brown admitted he tried to challenge Shaq, but the result wasn’t exactly in his favor. “That Shaq back then was like really, really athletic and agile,” he said, emphasizing how much of a force the Hall of Famer was. While Brown couldn’t get past the Diesel, he didn’t have the same struggles against others.

His rookie season was electric—especially during the 1991 Dunk Contest, where he stunned fans with his athleticism and his “no-look dunk.” Brown edged out legends like Shawn Kemp, but it was his Reebok Pumps that stole the show. Michael Jordan, a Nike icon, wasn’t thrilled about that. During the contest’s celebration party, Brown had an unexpected encounter with MJ.

“Hey, young fella, you did a great job,” Jordan told him. But there was a twist. “Now I gotta kick your a-s on and off the court,” MJ warned him. Brown added, “I think he was a little mad when I won the dunk contest with my Reebok pumps because it put a little dent in his pocketbook with Nike.”

Brown helped Shaquille O’Neal’s Reebok compete with Michael Jordan’s Nike

Back in 1991, everyone had their money on Shawn Kemp to take the Dunk Contest crown at the All-Star weekend. But then came Dee Brown, standing at just 6’1″, rocking his game-changing Reebok Pumps. They were both eye-catching and innovative, with an internal inflation system that locked around the ankle for a better fit.

While the Pump feature didn’t help Brown during the contest, he turned it into a clever performance tool. Before every dunk, he theatrically pumped air into his shoes and after each dunk, he’d deflate them as if resetting for another masterpiece. Fans couldn’t look away. And when he pulled off his iconic no-look jam in the final round, it was game over. He claimed the trophy and became the first Boston Celtic to win the contest.

That win did more than boost Brown’s profile—it launched the Reebok Pump into sneaker superstardom. What was once just a popular shoe turned into a global sensation. A year later, Reebok signed Shaquille O’Neal, and his signature Pump further cemented the brand’s place in basketball history. By 1992, Reebok hit $3.02 billion in sales, surpassing the $3 billion mark for the first time and proving it could compete with Nike’s dominance.

Even though Nike eventually regained the upper hand with Air Max technology, the Pump gave Reebok a fighting chance. Now as president of Reebok’s basketball division, Shaq is working to bring the brand back to its former glory in sneaker culture.