The highly anticipated retro release of the Reebok Shaqnosis finally hits retailers tomorrow. It's been nineteen years since the bold Shaquille O'Neal signature model was originally available, and Sole Collector recently sat down with Jonathan Morris, the designer of the Shaqnosis, to discuss the makings of this mid-'90s classic.
Throughout the in-depth interview, Morris provides a ton of insight on the big-man model. One of the most interesting tidbits is the fact that Shaq almost ended up wearing NFL running back Emmitt Smith's signature model instead of the Shaqnosis. After the CEO of Reebok, Paul Fireman, saw Morris' original sketch (pictured above), he immediately decided to swap the projects and lace O'Neal in the model which would become known as the Shaqnosis.
Morris also details the performance-based changes that were made to Shaq's player exclusive model compared to the version that was on shelves: "He also had the InstaPump on it as well, and he needed the additional support. Some things that really helped the shoe, even though it wasn't really even initially designed as a basketball shoe, is that it's got the cup wall in the heel. I took that from working on tennis and hiking, and it was really helpful for fit and feel."
