The man, the myth, the legend, Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most popular athletes in the history of the world. Most NBA fans love the guy, and for many, it’s hard not to. With all the fame he’s garnered over the years, he’s also caught the attention of an immense number of famous brands.
No one should underestimate the commercial power (or scoring power) of Shaq when it comes to endorsing huge products. He’s endorsed products from companies that most people use or experience at least once per day in their lives. With that said, there are also plenty of surprising products Shaq has endorsed, leading to plenty of hilarity.
10 Burger King
That’s right, Shaq endorsed the fast-food mega-power, Burger King at one point. Many have said that Shaq actually became Burger King’s go-to athlete because Kobe Bryant had become a major endorser of McDonald’s.
Big fans of both Shaq and Burger King will no doubt remember his famous Shaq Pack advertisements that were seemingly aired everywhere. Just how much Shaq’s endorsement helped the brand is anyone’s guess, but it was hard for them to go wrong with the big man on their side.
9 Wheaties
Any fans of breakfast cereal likely remember “the breakfast of champions” Wheaties, and the fact that at one time, Shaq was heavily featured on the front of the box. It wouldn’t be shocking to learn that plenty of people ended up purchasing the cereal purely because of Shaq.
Some say that the cereal is relatively bland, but for some, that’s exactly what's needed to start the day. Having someone as exciting as Shaq endorsing the product probably made the classic cereal a lot more exciting for a lot of people.
8 Pepsi
Mega-fans of Shaq will probably remember back in the early 90s when he endorsed Pepsi. It resulted in one of the most hilarious products ever produced, the Shaq Attaq Pepsi. To this day, Shaq’s biggest fans try to get their hands on the product whenever it pops up online.
Buying a simple six-pack of the 90s soda now will set people back hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. The endorsement may not have helped the specific promotion all that much, but it’s clearly a moment in history that many remember fondly.
7 Shaq Fu
Anyone who was lucky enough to have a video game made about them would probably be the first person to endorse that very product, and that was no different for Shaq and his video game Shaq Fu.
Even today, Shaq still makes appearances here and there to discuss and play the now-infamous title with people all over. It’s not a beloved game, but it is one that everyone remembers for just how bizarre it ultimately was. Anyone who’s played the title knows exactly why it has an infamous reputation.
6 Taco Bell
If there’s one thing Shaq does well, it’s endorsing the products he truly loves. One of his most memorable endorsements during his prime days was for the massive taco-based fast-food company, Taco Bell.
Anyone who remembers Shaq’s famous commercial is probably already licking their lips at the thought of a famous Double Decker, a product that Shaq made look far tastier than it often was. The endorsement is one that probably helped Taco Bell a great deal as other celebrities were also involved.
5 NBA 2K
It shouldn't surprise anyone that Shaq often endorses the NBA 2K brand of video games. He’s been heavily featured in various games from the yearly series, and as a result, has been a pat of the marketing for the games.
Whenever talk about legendary figures come up in relation to NBA 2K games, Shaq is often one of the first men anyone will see advertised. He was even on the cover of the Legends Edition of the 2018 installment of the game. Of course, that cover came with a big announcement commercial from the man himself.
4 Mr. Big
An often forgotten chocolate bar that is most probably remembered specifically because of Shaq is Mr. Big. There was a lot of memorable marketing that went along with Shaq’s glowing endorsement of the chocolatey snack.
Shaq’s face was plastered all over pretty much every package for the candy bar that could be found, and there was a memorable inflatable piece of marketing that featured an enormous Shaq holding onto a big bar of Mr. Big. The bar itself is another collectible that goes for obscene amounts online today.
3 Icy Hot
An endorsement that people likely haven’t forgotten about is Shaq working with Icy Hot. The reason why most people haven’t forgotten it is that while he endorsed it quite prominently a few decades ago, it’s something that he still seems to endorse quite regularly.
It makes sense, many athletes continue to struggle with pain from old injuries, and just the general wear-and-tear on their bodies from years of high-impact play, so a continued endorsement of Icy Hot is something that is likely beneficial for both parties involved.
2 Nintendo DS Tomodachi Life
It’s anyone’s guess why a Nintendo game from the early 2010s aimed at children heavily featured Shaquille O’Neal as a part of the marketing, but it certainly is a thing that happened. Shaq featured heavily as an animated character for the DS game Tomodachi Life.
It’s an endorsement that is funnier than anything else because Shaq probably never really dug into the game himself. The commercials are quite amusing, and the biggest Shaq fans will probably get a kick out of the goofy animation of their sports idol.
1 Oreos
People who love Oreos probably look back fondly at the time when Shaq was one of the big faces of the brand. Rather than endorsing the average cookie, Shaq endorsed and was a part of marketing the Triple Double Oreos.
The Oreos are what any basketball fan might guess, two sections of cream with three wafer cookies, making a monstrous Oreo. The cookies may have been jam-packed with calories, but that didn’t keep them from getting plenty of help from Shaq, someone who likely loved the decadent cookies.