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Shaquille O’Neal’s eponymous Shaq line is famous for offering affordable sneakers, but the former NBA superstar and current president of Reebok Basketball may have outdone himself with this one.
The newest line of Shaq footwear includes three performance basketball shoes priced from $40 to $50 and a lifestyle model retailing for $35. Available primarily from Kohl’s, creation of the sneakers was led by Shaq senior footwear designer Kyle Barbuti, who elaborated on the process on Instagram.
Speaking to the Shaq Raq Low model, which is priced at $45, Barbuti said he aimed to create a shoe suited for O’Neal in today’s style of basketball. According to Barbuti, the knitted textile upper is reinforced with TPU allowing it to be flexible but withstand force, while a ’90s-inspired EVA foam midsole adds underfoot cushioning. A herringbone traction pattern and lateral outrigger keep the wearer’s foot in place, and Barbuti said the low-cut design “should perform better than any other shoe on the market under $100 if not higher.”
To O’Neal and Barbuti’s credit, the Raq Low has received strong marks from basketball sneaker review platform WearTesters.
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“The materials are where I get surprised, not only with the cushion, but that material is package is like, ‘How is this on $45 worth of shoe? It doesn’t compute,’” WearTesters founder Chris Chase said.
But the Raq Low isn’t the only budget-friendly performance basketball Shaq model that can be found at Kohl’s. The newly revamped line also includes the Shaq Speed Demon ($40) and the Shaq H.O.F. ($50). In addition to those, a slip-on lifestyle shoe dubbed the Shaqival is priced at $35. The Raq Low, Speed Demon, and Shaqival models all come in kid’s sizing as well.
Prior to the new line being stocked at Kohl’s, O’Neal’s budget-priced Shaq shoes could be found at Wal-Mart. In 2016, he took to social media to reveal that the Shaq brand had “sold over 120 millions pairs of affordable shoes for kids” at Wal-Mart.
O’Neal appeared Wednesday on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to promote his new Shaq-a-licious XL gummies candy. During the show, O’Neal elaborated on his penchant for paying $1,000 for pedicures.
Readers can shop the full Shaq sneaker line at Kohl’s stores and from kohls.com. Select models can also be found from Shoe Dept. Encore stores and shoeshowmega.com.
