Zack Schlemmer 
If you follow the basketball social media world, you’ve no doubt caught wind of the current public feud between Shaquille O’Neal and Scottie Pippen. The argument began when Shaq took to Instagram posing the question of which all-time team of the Los Angeles Lakers or Chicago Bulls is better, consisted of each franchise’s best players at each position. Shaq declared that his squad would beat the Bulls by 50 points, and Scottie fired back by saying “Sorry @shaq but I don’t get caught up in hypotheticals. All I know is we won 6 titles, twice the amount you claimed while in LA…” The argument continued after that, complete with some horrible photoshops by Shaq. (Just google it for the full story.)
Being a sneaker site, the hilarious clashing of the basketball superstars’ egos naturally led us to thinking about a different side of the Scottie vs. Shaq debate: sneakers, of course! Continue reading for a breakdown of each man’s footwear history to see whether it’s Shaq or Pip that can claim victory in the sneaker world. Because no matter how many championship rings you have, it’s the shoes that really count.
The Early Years
The early years of each player’s sneaker history are characterized by brands that are now obscure and forgotten. Scottie started out his NBA career wearing AVIA sneakers, an athletic footwear brand that had a decent showing in the 1980s, but has all but disappeared since. Eventually—and probably in no small part thanks to some guy named Michael Jordan on his team—Scottie signed on with Nike where he’s enjoyed a lucrative partnership to this day. As a college phenom, Shaq entered the NBA set with a massive endorsement deal from Reebok, but in college it was LA Gear he rocked with the LSU Tigers.
Scottie Gets on the Sneaker World’s Map
After getting on Nike in the late 1980s, Pippen was one of the early promoters of the Flight line where he wore notable models like the Air Flight ’89 and Flight Lite. But it wasn’t until 1994, that he really got on the sneaker map when he rocked his famous bright red Air Flight Maestro 2 for the 1993 All-Star game where he took home MVP honors.
Shaq Attaq
Shaq’s big break into sneaker relevance came right away when he entered the NBA, where he took to the court in his rookie season wearing the Reebok Shaq Attaq. The bold, Pump-equipped sneaker is considered an all-time classic from Reebok, and still one of his most celebrated sneakers today—especially after finally retroing in 2013.
Pippen’s Impressive PE’s
After turning heads with the all-red Maestro, Scottie would go on to rock a number of awesome PE Bulls colorways in the following couple of seasons, including the Air Swift, Air Uptempo, and Air Wayup seen here.
More Shaq Attaqs
After the excellent debut Shaq Attaq model in 1992, the Shaq Attaq II and III were both a bit forgettable. But the the Shaq Attaq IV took the signature line back up a notch, with an aggressive high-top style. Oh, there was also the Shaq Sandal thrown in there somewhere.
AIR
By 1996, Scottie still didn’t have an official signature shoe, but he was the main endorser and player most closely associated with the branding-happy Air More More Uptempo. He would wear them during the 72-win Bull’s ’96 championship run, and then throughout the Olympics that summer in the famous “USA” colorway. It was never an official signature shoe, but that hasn’t stopped many from referring to the More Uptempo as simply “The Pippens”.
Hypnotized
Like Scottie’s More Uptempos,1996 was also a landmark year in Shaq’s shoe history. That’s because ’96 is the year the hypnotizing Shaqnosis hit the court. One color was all it ever needed: black and white.
Scottie’s First Signature Shoe
In 1997 Scottie finally received his first signature shoe, the Air Pippen. Retailing with a full-length Air Max unit, Scottie had Nike switch up his on-court pairs to Zoom Air after he decided he preferred that cushioning. Besides being one of the coolest basketball shoes of the year, another claim to fame for the Air Pippen would be their appearance right next to Michael Jordan’s black and red Air Jordan XIIs in the legendary “Flu Game”.
Shaq’s Own Brand
After leaving the Magic for the glitz of LA, Shaq continued wearing Reebok early in his career with the Lakers. This era was characterized by big and beefy models like the Preacher, Dunk Mob, and Shaq Reflection. By 1999, Shaq decided to create his own signature brand, aimed to be a budget-friendly sneaker line for kids that couldn’t afford $100+ sneakers. While the cause was worthy, the lower-quality Dunk brand sneakers Shaq would wear throughout the rest of his career weren’t exactly respected by sneaker connoisseurs. We won’t even start on the flagrantly bootlegged sneakers Shaq’s brand has produced lately.
The Pippen Line Continues…Still Today
After the success of the Air Pippen, Scottie’s signature line was followed up with the Pippen 2, another well-received signature model. He would eventually get up to the Pippen 5 by the end of his career with the Portland Trailblazers in the early 2000’s before his signature line was discontinued. But not forever. Just like the revamped Air Penny line, Nike Sportswear resurrected Scottie’s signature line for the Air Pippen 6 this year. Another retro for the Air Pippen 1 also returned recently, proving Scottie’s signature shoe line is still as relevant as ever.
The Verdict
While both players have a rich signature history, Shaq’s definitely fizzled out with his lower-tiered Dunk brand. It started out fairly strong, but has since transformed into a K-Mart level sneaker brand copying other famous models. The resurgence of the Reebok Shaq Attaq, Shaq Attaq IV, and Shaqnosis retros have definitely helped Shaq’s case, but in our opinion, the clutch victory shot for Scottie’s sneaker game battle comes in the form of the Air Pippen 6. The new signature model proves that Scottie is still relevant in the basketball shoe game today. Which man’s team is better is still up for debate, but the sneaker verdict is in. Sorry, Shaq.
