Shaquille O'Neal and Authentic Brands Group CEO Jamie Salter announced the launch of Dunkman, a new professional dunk-league partnership [1].
The venture aims to challenge the traditional NBA dunk contest model by creating a standalone professional experience [2]. By pivoting from a traditional retail focus to an experiential league, O'Neal and Authentic Brands are attempting to capture a new segment of the sports entertainment market [3].
The announcement took place on May 6, 2026, during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California [1, 2]. The partnership leverages O'Neal's global brand recognition and the portfolio management expertise of Authentic Brands Group to scale the league's reach [2, 3].
O'Neal emphasized the shift toward experiential marketing during the launch. "It's not a store. It's an experience — and that's what I love," O'Neal said [4].
This move follows a broader financial trajectory for the athlete's business ventures. A previous Authentic Brands Group acquisition was valued at $1.4 billion [5]. The new league serves as a strategic expansion of the company's existing portfolio [3].
The Dunkman league intends to operate as a professional circuit dedicated specifically to the art of dunking [1, 2]. While the NBA incorporates dunking into its annual All-Star weekend, Dunkman seeks to establish a dedicated environment for these athletes to compete year-round [2].
“"It's not a store. It's an experience — and that's what I love,"”
The launch of Dunkman represents a strategic shift toward 'sportainment,' where the focus moves from traditional league structures to high-impact, viral-ready athletic events. By partnering with Authentic Brands Group, O'Neal is transitioning from a brand endorser to a league owner, diversifying his intellectual property holdings while attempting to monetize a specific niche of basketball that the NBA treats as a secondary attraction.
