“One of the first pair of sneakers I wanted to make sure was part of my Art of the Sole series were The Shaq Attaq “Orlando,” Shaq’s first signature shoe. Part of it was nostalgia. Seeing the pump brings me back to playing basketball as a young kid. Growing up in the 90’s it seemed like every kid was either wearing Jordans or a pair of Reebok Pumps. I was no exception – I had to have both. The other reason was that Shaq was a force of nature.

Not only was his talent unmatched, his larger than life personality made him a joy to watch. I wanted to translate that in one of my paintings and what better way for me symbolize his larger than life personality than to take his size 22 shoe and represent that in a large scale painting.

Although not the original from ‘92, the sneaker presented in the painting is a retro from 2017. Reebok did a great job replicating the original sneaker as well as the accompanied hangtag. I found a deadstock pair on ebay and quickly bought it. I then photographed it in my studio from every angle. Ultimately, I chose to use only 1 sneaker and showcase it from the side with just enough of an angle for the pump, featured on the tongue, to be in plain sight.

I recently reached out to Shaq’s team with the idea to create a limited edition run of Pump It Up and have Shaq sign each one, with proceeds going to his foundation. We decided to create an edition of 32 prints, representing his jersey # with Orlando. Each print measures 25”x33” and is signed and numbered by myself and Shaq. 100% of the net profits will go to the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation.”