Audemars Piguet Shaquille O’Neal Watches
Other than perhaps Nike’s collaboration with Michael Jordan, it is virtually unheard of for two unquestionable titans of this magnitude within their own individual industries to come together to the level of Audemars Piguet’s deal with US Basketball and crossover megastar Shaquille O’Neil.
A Legendary Backstory
Regarded as one of the greatest Basketball players of all time, Shaquille O’Neal brought his undoubted talents to six teams around the United States across a 19-year career, this included the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, the two teams he is perhaps most synonymous with.
Shaq as he would be affectionately known as, started his professional career at the Orlando Magic in 1992 where he would earn the Rookie of the year accolade before helping to lead the team to his first ever NBA final. After the completion of the 1995/96 NBA season Shaq would become a free agent, after speculation he would ultimately leave Florida to join the Los Angeles Lakers. It was at the Lakers that he would earn three consecutive NBA championships between 2000-2003. O’Neal’s time in LA would come to a premature end amid tension with rising superstar Kobe Bryant, he would ultimately be traded to Miami Heat, returning to Florida where he started.
Shaq’s unquestionable presence on the court would soon lead to results as the Heat finished first in the Eastern Conference before ultimately falling short of the championship. However, in only his second season back in Florida, O’Neal would take the team all the way to the title — the fourth and final of his legendary career.
Ultimately, Shaq would go on to play for three more NBA franchises, the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics before he would ultimately call time on a legendary career to pursue media responsibilities.
Upon the completion of his playing career, O’Neal would feature in movies, television, video games, professional wrestling, and more. Today Shaq dedicates most of his time to punditry.
While the success of Shaquille O’Neal in his indomitable career at the top of the US sports scene attracted great attention, it is his dedication to perfection and his unwillingness to accept anything but second best that Audemars Piguet will have been able to relate to — making this relationship as obvious as it was successful.
The Watch that Started it All
Over the years, Audemars Piguet has forged high-value relationships with sports stars across the world, and from a multitude of disciplines. However, it was the Audemars Piguet Shaquille O’Neal collection that started it all. Since then, numerous other collaborations have taken place, including with:
- 2009, Sachin Tendulkar: One of the greatest batsmen and players in the history of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar had an illustrious 20+ year career at the very top of the game. Around 300 watches were released to celebrate the Sachin Tendulkar name in 2009
- 2012, Lionel Messi: Considered by some to be the greatest figure in the history of the most popular sport in the world, 2012 saw the launch of the Royal Oak Lionel Messi trilogy.
- 2013, LeBron James: Back in 2013, another basketball superstar, LeBron James collaborated with Audemars Piguet to create a unique and striking collection of ‘LBJ’ signature watches. The LeBron James collection was produced with a self-winding chronograph with date display.
- 2017, Michael Schumacher: 2017 saw the release of three Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher Limited Edition watches. A long time brand ambassador, Michael Schumacher branded watches were extremely limited — The platinum model was limited to only 100 pieces.
Larger than Life
A larger than life watch designed for a larger than life athlete and man, the Audemars Piguet Shaquille O’Neal collection is personalised to be unquestionably synonymous with the man himself — Shaquille’s silhouette is engraved on the caseback and his famous number 32 also features on the dial in ruby’s.
One thing Shaq is famous for beyond his prodigious sporting talent is his huge frame — at over 7 feet in height, and boasting a 10.25/12 inch hand, one of the largest in the history of the NBA. For Audemars Piguet to truly do the man justice, they knew that they couldn’t simply release a dainty, delicate watch, it would need to be just as big in stature as the man himself.
This huge watch comes with a stainless steel case weighing in at an oversized 48mm. However, while the watch was created to match a giant of a man it shares its name with, its intelligent design features mean that it will look just as comfortable on just about everyone. All of this makes this wonderful timepiece every bit as legendary as the famous sportsman it was created to honour.