Shaquille O'Neal is a man of many talents, known for his time in the NBA, as an NBA commentator and as an investor.
For those scoring at home, Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY) can get added to the list of companies partnering with the NBA Hall of Famer through their unique gummies deal.
Check out HSY stock here.
A new line of gummies was recently released and O'Neal is using the launch to celebrate his philanthropic efforts.
What Happened: O'Neal helped design the Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies with Hershey last year.
A new version of the gummies features sneakers instead of Shaq's face and introduces three new flavors to customers. The sneaker gummies are modeled after the SHAQ sneaker and come in the flavors of strawberry, mango and lime.
Earlier this week, O'Neal made a surprise appearance in New York City at Basketball City. While there, O'Neal dropped his limited-edition sneaker collaboration with the candy, which do not have CBD in them, and gave out free pairs of shoes and gummies to local children.
The new sneakers will only be available at in-person pop-ups to promote the new collaboration and gummies. The Shaq-A-Licious truck is expected to make more stops at New York basketball courts in the future.
O'Neal also played one-on-one with streetball legend George "The Messiah" Papoutsis while at Basketball City.
The Shaq-A-Licious gummies are now available nationwide at select retailers. The Hershey Company handles manufacturing and distribution of the gummies under a partnership agreement with O'Neal.
Read Also: Shaquille O’Neal Reflects On Divorce, Fatherhood And Personal Accountability: ‘I Was Lost. 76,000 Square Foot House By Yourself’
Why It's Important: The new sneaker gummies pay tribute to the XL shoe size of O'Neal (size 22) and expand on the partnership between Hershey and the NBA Hall of Famer.
The launch of Shaq-A-Licious XL Gummies in 2024 was the top sweets launch by Hershey during the year. The gummies have gone on to sell 11 million units since launch.
O'Neal helped design and develop each of the various gummies, including taste testing.
"Shaq-A-Licious started with a big idea -- make candy that's bold, fun, and full of flavor. Now we're stepping it up with sneaker-shaped gummies and three wild new flavors for gummy lovers everywhere," O'Neal said.
O'Neal said he's "proud" of how far the partnership has come.
"This is just the beginning."
The partnership between the gummies and Shaq's sneaker company could also be a positive for Authentic Brands Group, the owner of SHAQ Footwear. Authentic Brands also owns the Reebok brand, which counts O'Neal as the president of Reebok Basketball.
Read Next:
- NBA Legend Shaq Once Found A Wallet In Beverly Hills: ‘Usually When I Find Wallets I Just Take All The Money Out’ -- But This One Was David Beckham’s, So Here’s What He Did
Photos: Shaquille O'Neal with his Devastator sneaker, photo by James Mercari for Authentic Brands Group; Shaq Gummies: both photos courtesy Hershey
