Last year, Sotheby’s sold The Dynasty Collection, which included Michael Jordan’s eight sneakers, for $8 million. This year, Nike celebrated MJ’s 40th anniversary after the debut of AJ1. The sneakers related to the Bulls legend have a special place in fans’ hearts. But what if certain fans don’t feel the love for the product? Shaquille O’Neal was involved in one such situation, and he not only heard the feedback but implemented it as well. Will His Airness follow suit?

“AIR JORDAN 1 HIGHS ONLY COST NIKE $16 TO PRODUCE🚨😟 This is just the manufacturing cost and does not include distribution, marketing, and other expenses. Y’all still paying $180 for $16 shoes??🤔.” Instagram Page, Reselling Secrets with 388k followers added the post about the cost price of a Nike-Michael Jordan product. In the second slide, there was a photo of the cost breakdown for the $16!

$10.75 for materials, $2.43 for labor, $2.10 as an overhead expense, and $0.97 as factory profits, which makes the total cost $16.25. It’s not new that fans are complaining about the price hike. They have been a hot topic in the sneaker world for a while. Is the nostalgia factor really worth the extra cash? Shaquille O’Neal was marred by this very question.

“I had a Reebok deal – $40 (million) for 5 years. And I’m leaving the arena one day and this lady, she’s ripping into that! ‘Y’all m———— charging all these babies all this money for your shoes!‘” Shaq narrated the incident on his podcast. “So I had like $2000 in my pocket and I was like ‘Ma’am, I don’t make the prices, here you go.’ And she smacked the money in my hands. ‘Why don’t you m———— make a shoe that’s affordable!‘” No points for guessing what he did next.

The Lakers legend cut ties with Reebok and also left a reported $40 million contract on the table. Went on to create his affordable shoe range that still runs. “So I started the Shaq brand, and I went to my favorite store, Walmart, and we did a deal.”

Difference between Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal’s strategy

Shaq left Reebok in 1998 to launch an affordable line of footwear at Walmart. Not just for adults, but keeping kids’ sizes in mind, the shoes during that time were available for as low as $10. Interestingly, Walmart sold over 120 million pairs before it expanded into Kohl’s. Fast forward to today: Shaquille O’Neal works as the President of Reebok basketball, but that doesn’t mean his personal footwear brand has been neglected.

The Shaq Raq is available primarily at Kohl’s along with other affordable footwear like the Shaq Speed Demon ($40), the Shaq H.O.F. ($50), and the loafers O’Neal himself has been seen in, the Shaqival ($35). Comparing it with Michael Jordan and Nike’s strategy will provide a better context. The Air Jordan 1 85 high top will only be available in 23 select retailers. Only 2 in Canada and 21 in the United States, including The Trophy Room, which is run by MJ’s on Marcus Jordan.

More importantly, the kicks were available scarcely,  only 10,000 pairs were in those stores. However, fans were also upset because the cost was set at $250. Both NBA icons achieved success on the pitch and were able to translate it off the pitch with different strategies.