OTHER RELEASES:NFL NEWS ROBERTO MULLER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: DaveFogelson (Reebok)

Brad Buyce (Ketchum PR - for Reebok)

Leonard Armato (Management Plus - for Shaquille O'Neal)

TWO TEAMS OF SHAQUILLE O'NEALS SQUARE OFF

IN NEW REEBOK TELEVISION COMMERCIALS

STOUGHTON, MA. (Jan. 18, 1995) -- Through the magic of state-of-the-art video technology, two new Reebok television commercials featuring Orlando Magic superstar Shaquille O'Neal answer the question, "What would happen if two teams made up entirely of Shaqs met on the basketball court?" Basketball fans will find out on Sunday,January 22 when the commercials debut on NBC's telecast of the Orlando-Phoenix Suns game.

"Shaq vs. Shaq" is played out in two, 30-second commercials. The first half of the game is a defensive struggle with Shaq playing tough "D" onhimself and blocking his repeated scoring attempts. At one point, Shaq replaces himself in the lineup and asks, "Who're you guarding?" "The big, good-looking guy," he answers.

In the second half, Shaq turns on the offense with fast-breaks and slam dunks.A three pointer at the buzzer ties the game 194-194 at the end of seven over timeperiods. His face buried in a towel, an exhausted O'Neal looks up in disbelief as the sportscaster announces, "Looks like we're gonna' shoot free throws to settle this one."

Produced by Leo Burnett, 'Shaq vs. Shaq' supports the retail introduction this month of Reebok's Shaq Attaq IV basketball shoe. The campaign also includes print advertising, outdoor billboards and an extensive selection of point-of-sale materials.

"Shaq is either leading the league or is among the leaders in a number of categories," said Dan Hanrahan, vice president of global product marketing for Reebok. "His impressive play made it logical to have some fun with the idea of presenting this dream matchup," he said. "'Shaq vs. Shaq' portrays the Shaquille O'Neal millions of basketball fans have come to know and appreciate for his style of play and youthful exuberance," Hanrahan said.

"This commercial demonstrates Shaq's growing versatility as a basketball player and multi-media star," said Leonard Armato,president of Management Plus, which represents O'Neal. "Shaq's acting ability coupled with the special effects permit the viewer to watch the commercial over and over with interest. They will discover something new each time they watch it," Armato said.

"The commercial was very challenging because I had to play many different Shaqs," said O'Neal. Asked if Reebok has assembled the ultimate Dream Team in'Shaq vs. Shaq,' O'Neal replied, "No, not really, but it's a pretty good team.Five Shaqs -- that's a nice team right there," he said. Shaq was quick to add, "But, I'd have to hit some free throws to improve it."

Shooting the commercial over the course of four days represented both an off-season workout for O'Neal and introduction to state-of-the-art film and special effects production. The game action sequences were shot using "body doubles."The doubles had to be basketball players 6'5" or taller who were willing to shave their heads.Action sequences were shot over and over with Shaquille playing both offense and defense. O'Neal then had to repeat many of his moves alone in front of a green screen. Off the court, O'Neal sat motionless as a laser was beamed over hisface and head. The laser-fed three dimensional image was used in post-production to replace the faces of the doubles with Shaq's face.

"Because he had to play more than one role, Shaq's playing and acting ability made it all work in a natural way," said Dave Linne, senior vice president/creative director of Leo Burnett. "The best effects in the world won't save a bad performance, and Shaq was very, very good in front of the camera," he said.

Reebok International Ltd., headquartered in Stoughton, MA., is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of sports, fitness and casual footwear and apparel. Principal operating units include the Reebok Division,Avia Group International, Inc. and the Rockport Company, Inc. Sales for 1993 totaled approximately $2.9 billion.