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The former big man of the NBA, Shaquille O. Neal, explains how he chose the companies and brands with which to collaborate.
Harrison Hill, USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

LOS ANGELES – If you buy the story of Shaquille O'Neal, he ran out of ink one night, went to Staples, found an Epson inkjet printer and fell in love with the help.

O'Neal, the former basketball player who promotes many products, represents Staples. On Tuesday, he announced a new affiliation, this time with the giant printing company Epson, to connect a new range of EcoTank printers that do not require the purchase of new cartridges, but rather refillable bottles that replace them.

"I have four university degrees," he said at a press conference. "But would anyone tell me what is a magenta?", Referring to one of the colors typically required for color printer ink refills.

The former basketball pro Shaquille O'Neal at a press conference in Los Angeles (Photo: Jefferson Graham)

The EcoTank Super Tank printers, launched in 2015, released new models Tuesday, available online and in store. The new models feature new designs and usability improvements, says Epson.

The EcoTank range is not as economical as traditional printers at $ 100 and under, which rely on sales of $ 75 ink cartridges to refill. Consumers are buying reusable bottles that last 15 times longer, says Epson. The bottles cost about $ 60 in groups.

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O'Neal, a technology lover, says he personally bought 20 Epson printers to have at home. "If we break up, I do not want to have to call those guys for help."

After the press conference, O'Neal spoke with USA TODAY to talk a bit about technology:

–phones:O'Neal told us in 2014 that he owned 50 iPhones. Today, there are only five of them, the XS models. He had wanted to add a Samsung Fold to the collection, until production issues arose and he changed his mind.

–applications"I spend $ 1,000 a week on apps," he said, saying gaming supplements and subscriptions accounted for most of the costs. "I love zombie destruction games." The last app he bought was the "Faces" photo app, which is free, but has in-app purchases.

–Cars: He owns five and plans to buy a Tesla. But how does the 7-foot-1 guy get into the front seat of the cars? "I do it at home," he said. "I'm looking at the backseat. If there is room to go back, I put new holes in the ground and I pull it out. His favorite among the 5 cars is the Ford F-150.

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Regarding his new pitching career after basketball, O Neal was asked to name all the companies he works with and give us the total number. "I do not know," he says.

"I'm not a pitchman, I'm a partner," he says. "I only work with companies I admire."

Click on the link below to listen to Talking Tech podcast talk.

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