{"id":1555238,"date":"2023-03-26T20:26:04","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T00:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1555238"},"modified":"2023-03-26T20:26:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T00:26:05","slug":"shaquille-oneal-analyzed-michael-jordan-beat-him-punch-off-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/shaquille-oneal-analyzed-michael-jordan-beat-him-punch-off-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaquille O'Neal ‘Analyzed' Michael Jordan, Then Beat Him to the Punch in Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A college marketing professor once told\u00a0Shaquille O'Neal<\/a>\u00a0that big men don't sell. The 7-foot-1, 300-plus-pound NBA superstar sure proved him wrong. Shaq became one of the most marketable players in league history from the moment he took the court in 1992 and continues to be one of the biggest stars in the NBA orbit today as\u00a0a TNT analyst<\/a>. O'Neal did this with his drive and infectious personality for sure, but he also studied the greatest personal “brands” in the league, like\u00a0Michael Jordan<\/a>, then went out him at his own game, starring in\u00a0Blue Chips<\/em>\u00a0two years before MJ got\u00a0Space Jam<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaquille O'Neal studied the brands of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Shaquille
(L-R) Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan; Shaquille O'Neal | BRIAN BAHR\/AFP via Getty Images; Focus on Sport via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shaquille O'Neal knew he wanted to become a brand on the level of the biggest (and most famous) NBA stars to that point \u2014 Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird \u2014 from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longtime NBA insider Jackie MacMullan shared on her Icons Club podcast<\/em><\/a> that “Shaq analyzed how Bird and Magic and Jordan grew their brands, then cherry-picked what he liked, and discarded what he didn't.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, he designed the logo for his Reebok shoe as a silhouette of him dunking, an idea that “was unapologetically stolen from Jordan's ‘Jumpman' logo.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also saw the success of Jordan, Magic, and Bird's commercials but wanted to take things to the next level as far as being on camera. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The big man set his sights beyond commercials or straight-to-video films,” MacMullan explained. “He traded phone calls with Hollywood producers to ignite his acting career.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By carefully watching those who went before him and adding his larger-than-life size and personality to everything he did, O'Neal quickly became the biggest star in the NBA next to Jordan. And when it came to Hollywood, Shaq beat MJ to the punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“At the tender age of 21, Shaq was already blossoming into a multi-dimensional talent,” MacMullan shared. “Just like his idol [Julius Irving], he starred in his own movie, Blue Chips, alongside Nick Nolte and fellow icon Bob Cousy. Who would have ever guessed O'Neal would beat Michael Jordan to the box office? But he did. Blue Chips<\/em> hit the big screen two years before Space Jam<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while Shaq's proceeding films,\u00a0Kazaam<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Steel<\/em>, weren't great,\u00a0Blue Chips<\/em>\u00a0remains the best film with pro basketball players as actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Blue Chips' is awesome<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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