People think I came to know professional athletes through my work as a VP at Mitchell & Ness, but it was the other way around. I brought the pro athletes, along with the top musical artists of the day, to the brand — and once I was there, they called me.
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Growing up in West Philly, managing summer basketball and street ball and later, selling my cakes and water ices at games, I met the likes of future NBA-ers Alvin Williams and Cuttino Mobley. To this day, I’m never starry-eyed when I meet an athlete. Instead, I’ll tell them what I think of them, like, “Man, you blew this; you blew that.” And they just crack up and giggle, and that starts the conversation.
Through the years, I’ve become good friends with some of these guys and their families. I’ve been to LeBron James’s birthday parties. Ann Iverson, Allen’s mom, Facetimes me every week, especially since I got sick. I also got to make impacts on their lives.
I spoke to legendary NFL QB Johnny Unitas on the day he passed away. Afterwards, at a convention in Orlando, Florida, Unitas’s widow came up to me, hugged me and thanked me, saying I brought her husband “back to life” when Mitchell & Ness released his throwback #19 jersey. She earned residuals from the jersey’s sales, and wanted to show her gratitude. As I look back on my life, that’s something I’ll never forget.
Eagles great Harold Carmichael still stops the presses anytime he sees me. After games at Chickie’s & Pete’s, he’s told everyone: “You should see the royalty checks that I got from that #17 jersey,” his throwback, from Mitchell & Ness. On the sideline at an Eagles game, he’d say, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” It put tears in my eyes.
Freddie Barnett
After his retirement, Eagles wide receiver Freddie Barnett was one of the athletes that asked me to make his jersey for Mitchell & Ness. He’s a sartorial guy, a clothes horse, and had a tailoring shop he invested in at the corner of 11th and Chestnut. Freddie and I set up a reciprocal deal: He’d give me custom clothes in exchange for jerseys. These days, he spends half the year in Bermuda and the other half on Rittenhouse Square.
Allen Iverson
To me, Allen Iverson is the salt of the earth, my guy. When he first came to Philly, he would show up at summer league games. I’ll never forget: In 1996, he came with my friend, Lincoln University basketball coach Gene Lett; may he rest in peace. Iverson pulled up in his big body Benz. He bought one of my water ices, and from there, we just bonded.
When AI wore a Bill Russell throwback to a press conference in 2002, people were in an uproar because of the Sixers-Celtics rivalry. The media killed him over that. They didn’t understand why he did it, but he was repping the culture. The jersey had been a gift from his grandfather. Sports radio WIP reached out to me to explain what was going on, and kept me there as a commentator alongside Angelo Cataldi for 20 years. Around the same time, I was featured in Time, Sports Illustrated and The New York Times.
When NBA Commissioner David Stern decreed a new business attire dress code for the players in 2005, it had directly to do with Iverson and me. Mitchell & Ness was an NBA licensee, and you had guys wearing jerseys to the games, to appearances, on sidelines. Ironically, Stern was trying to end something that was propelling the popularity of the NBA itself, while whitewashing the culture. It’s only a few years ago that players again relaxed into more casual, street styles.
When the Sixers retired Iverson’s #3 jersey in 2014, he reached out to me and asked me to photograph the ceremony and the premiere of his documentary at the Ritz Theater at 4th and Chestnut. I was there for the celebration weekend, and ran my photos in The Daily News.
And you know who bought his rookie jersey? Shaq. Allen Iverson is Shaquille O’Neal’s favorite player. I tried on the jersey we made for Shaq and it fit me like a wedding gown. That’s how big that guy is. I gave it to him at the 2002 All-Star game, and it went down in history.
Joel Embiid
I would see Joel Embiid all the time before he started playing, hanging out at Del Frisco’s with a pitcher of Shirley Temples. He wasn’t even the legal age to drink, and he was living across the street at the Residences at the Ritz Carlton. This is a candid shot of him and his friends at 16th and Chestnut.
Connor Barwin
When former Eagles outside linebacker and defensive end Connor Barwin lived at 18th and Pine, I would see him all the time walking his dog. I took this on a day he had to fly to L.A. I also photographed his Make the World Better concerts.
Alvin Williams
I’ve known Philly legend, Villanova legend Alvin Williams since I was managing basketball at West Philly High and for the summer leagues. He’s always been a dapper guy — in his Brioni suit with exclusive handmade shoes. When we were kids, I’d mess with him because he grew up in Mt Airy. I’d say, “Y’all different. Y’all the middle class Blacks up there.” He spent most of his pro career with the Raptors. Whenever I’d see him out and about, he’d tell me he wanted to get in the paper.
Cuttino Mobley
Cuttino Mobley is another one I’ve known since back in the day, the street ball days, and when I’d sell my food to hair salons. He called himself “the style guy of the NBA.” He played for the Rockets and the Clippers (and a couple of other teams.) And after his pro career, he came home to Philly. I’d catch him on Rittenhouse Square with his high-end athleisure on.
Jason Kelce
I actually took the first paparazzi-style picture of Jason Kelce when he got drafted. He stopped me at a Philly Style party in Old City and was like, “Who are you? Everybody knows you.” I said, “You know. I’m Big Rube!” I told him my resume. And we were cool ever since. This is a photo of a young Kelce at Connor Barwin’s concert fundraiser.
LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin
Shady McCoy and Jeremy Maclin, then a running back and wide receiver for the Eagles, posed for my lens at a celebrity basketball fundraiser at Delaware County Community College. Nelly, DeSean Jackson and a bunch of reality TV stars were there playing. I was just snapping away, and everybody stopped for me and my camera between halftime and shoot-around.
West Philly born and raised with a slosh of Brooklyn, Big Rube partnered with Mitchell & Ness in 2000 to help make it a global brand marketing and selling high-end throwback jerseys. He has been photographing Philly since 2009, including in a Daily News Column from 2011 to 2017. He’s also a chef, preparing to open his own space in 2026.
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