Who dared to bully the Big Aristotle? Even the 4x NBA champ faced bullies during his childhood days. While he eventually moved beyond those difficult days, that experience taught Shaquille O’Neal something even more valuable, a lesson in kindness. This lesson, instilled by his parents, shaped him profoundly, and he later passed it down to his own children. But to handle those bullies, the gentle giant had to switch to a different mode.

Speaking on Unapologetically Angel with WNBA star Angel Reese, the 4x NBA champion candidly shared how he was constantly bullied for wearing Converse Buddies. These sneakers, which used to cost $1.99, were popular back then. “I went back to me and my childhood. I used to wear shoes that had a theme song that was so bad,” O’Neal recounted. He even recalled the Buddy song to Angel Reese.

“Buddies, they make your feet feel fin. Buddies, they cost $1.99,” O’Neal hilariously sang. Many who wore the shoes probably remember the song by heart, just like O’Neal. He then recounted getting into fights with those who mocked him for his shoes. However, he understood that his parents bought him what they could afford. So, he defended himself against his bullies. “I had like 100 fights because I had wore some shoes cuz that’s all my parents could go for and I used have to beat people up,” O’Neal revealed on the podcast. 

His father’s military career demanded the family to move a lot from one place to another. Moreover, it wasn’t easy to raise four kids. Despite all the troubles, his parents gave their best to raise Shaq and his siblings and the Lakers legend appreciated it.  

During his NBA days, he signed a deal with Converse’s rival Reebok, which sold expensive shoes. However, an incident in 1995 influenced him to part ways with Reebok and start his own shoe line. And now that he is back to working with Reebok again, the Lakers legend discussed the incident on the podcast. 

Why did Shaquille O’Neal leave Reebok for the first time?

Shaquille O’Neal recounted the incident with a woman who complained to the Los Angeles Lakers legend about selling such expensive shoes. At first, he didn’t realize her point and argued that he didn’t set the prices himself. He went on to offer some money, however; the lady refused and demanded that the companies make shoes for affordable kids.

“I had a couple stocks in back. I was like ma’am (offered the money). I don’t but hey you can call me Uncle Shaq. She smacked the money out my hand. ‘Don’t you m-therfu-ckers make an affordable shoe?’ and it hit me all day!” Shaq said.

That forced O’Neal to reflect on his own childhood and the challenges he faced. He recounted getting bullied for wearing those shoes. He realized the frustration of kids who simply wanted nice shoes but their parents couldn’t afford them. That encounter influenced him to end his deal with Reebok.

He then started his own shoe line. Shaq made it available at Walmart for an affordable price under his brand. Speaking to Reese, he proudly boasted of having sold over 400 million pairs. “It kind of took me back to that. So I called Reebok and Iike, ‘I’m going to start my own brand.’ That was in ’95 and since ’95 the Shaq brand has sold over 400 million pairs,” Shaq boasted.

Recently, he also visited Mexico and donated shoes to bring smiles to the faces of 500 children. He used to wear shoes from Converse, which now earns $2.4 billion as revenue but got bullied for it. And now, he is the President of Basketball Operations at its rival Reebok. However, his thoughts on doing good for the people didn’t change much.