Shaquille O'Neal once revealed how 'Twilight Zone' inspired his signature shoes 'Shaqnosis' in 1995

Shaquille O'Neal has completely changed the way basketball shoes are sold, especially for young kids. Through his line of shoes sold through Wal-Mart, the four-time NBA champion has made basketball shoes accessible to many kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them. When he played, however, he wore a model so famous that even to this day it can instantly be recognized by fans.

Back in 1995, Reebok released the first 'Shaqnosis' model with the young Orlando Magic superstar. While many were used to seeing the big man rock the Shaq Attack shoes, the design of the Shaqnosis shoes was incredibly polarizing to many fans at the time, and to this day.

As it turns out, the design for the shoe, which remains one of the most recognizable sneakers in NBA history, came to Shaquille O'Neal in a dream. On the heels of the recent announcement that O'Neal and NBA icon Allen Iverson would be heading up the relaunch of the Reebok basketball brand, O'Neal spoke about the design.

The video, which was posted to Reebok's Instagram story, features O'Neal talking about the origins of the shoe.

"One time I was asleep at my house, and I woke up and I saw it on TV. This (draws circular hand pattern) it just kept going. Kept going. Kept going. Kept going, and it put me in a hypnosis state," Shaq said. "So I was like 'I want to do this in a shoe' and that's how the Shaqnosis came about."

Reebok's story on Instagram

Shaquille O'Neal's history with Reebok, and his new role alongside Allen Iverson

What many fans may not know is that the Reebok signing of Shaquille O'Neal heading into his rookie season was the company's biggest endorsement deal ever. After making national headlines for his play at LSU, Shaquille O'Neal signed a deal with Reebok that saw him crowned the first player to get their own signature shoe.

The Reebok shoe was known as the "Shaq Attack" and featured a unique style that was unlike many at the time. After four iterations of the shoe, O'Neal and Reebok created the iconic Shaqnosis shoe in only one colorway ever released - black and white.

Now, in his new role as the President of Reebok Basketball, O'Neal will partner with fellow Hall of Famer Allen Iverson to revive the company's basketball brand. In a statement released by Reebok Design Group Senior VP Todd Krinsky, he praised O'Neal for his influence while writing:

“We are thrilled to be expanding upon our partnership with Shaquille with this historic appointment. As an athlete, he made an incredible imprint on not only our brand, but the entire sport and culture of basketball."

With the brand set to re-launch in 2025, it's safe to say that the duo of O'Neal and Iverson are going to have the attention of the NBA community.