Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal wore these white and black Nike Air Force sneakers during the 1991-92 NCAA Basketball season, when the future Laker starred for the Louisiana State Tigers of the SEC. O’Neal, a junior playing in his final collegiate season, averaged 24.1 points and 14 rebounds per game as he led LSU to a 21-10 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. O’Neal left LSU with a year of eligibility remaining and was selected with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. What followed was one of the greatest NBA careers of all-time, culminating in a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

These Nike high-top sneakers are a rarity, given that Shaq wore LA Gear throughout most of his collegiate career and only wore these for a handful of games, including against UCLA. When O'Neal joined the NBA, he signed on with Nike's biggest rival Reebok and later started his onw brand made to be affordable to the public. gargantuan size 21. Black Nike swoosh logos are applied to each side of the shoes, and “NIKE AIR” is sewn on each heel in black. The laces are white, and “FORCE” is sewn on the tongues in black. O’Neal has signed the heel of each shoe in black marker. On the left shoe, O’Neal inscribed “To Jeff” and on the right shoe he inscribed “To Jeff / Good Luck”. These shoes show heavy wear and are accompanied by a LOA from MEARS. Two COAs from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication cover O’Neal’s signatures (D84654, D84655).

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