What does Shaq smell like? Now you can find out with his new fragrance.
Shaq is not whack when it comes to promoting insurance, furniture, pizza or gummies.
And he has now entered the world of fragrance because … why not?
On Friday, the McDonough resident and consummate pitchman stopped by South Point’s JCPenney not far from his home to hawk Eqlipse, an eau de toilette scent that sells for $55 for a 4.2-ounce bottle only at the department store.
“Trust me, if you spray that, it’s going down!” Shaquille O’Neal said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution while at the store.
Eqlipse follows his first eau de toilette, which debuted in December.
The 54-year-old NBA Hall of Famer and “Inside the NBA” host said he was always a fan of cologne, wearing Obsession and Cool Water in his younger days.
“I can remember sometimes just wearing cologne and just walking by people and they go, ‘Oh, he smells good,’” he said.
When asked to describe the cologne’s smell, Shaq looked momentarily perplexed.
His cologne creator, Aliza Kantor, quickly fed him lines he then comically repeated: “The first one is amber and spicy and leaves a lasting impression. The second one is more for daytime. It’s called Eqlipse. It’s aquatic and aromatic and woody and fresh.”
Shaq spent 20 minutes shopping with five Clayton State University student athletes handpicked by the school as part of JCPenney’s “Suit Up” event. Each student was given a $500 gift card to find suits and shirts to prepare them for post-graduation.
The only student who was even close to Shaq’s 7′1′' height was 6′9′' basketball player Mamour Mbow. Mbow was able to pick from Shaq’s XLG Collection, a big and tall clothing line that includes ties, underwear, casual and formal shirts, and jackets. “I feel blessed,” Mbow said.
Shaq told the students that what they wear matters in the real world: “Dress like you’re about to meet the president of a country or the president of a corporation.”
He later held a meet and greet for the first 50 people who purchased Eqlipse. Some brought along trading cards, basketballs, comic books and other memorabilia for him to sign.
Locust Grove resident Leilani Fields got to JCPenney three hours early to meet him.
“I told him how much I love him,” the 58-year-old said moments after hugging him. “I’m still shaking!”
Fields, who said she drives by his house every day because it’s on her way to work, has tracked his career since he attended LSU and saw him play several times over his 19-year NBA career.
“I don’t even have a man, and I bought his cologne,” she said.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
