Reggie is a former professional basketball player and now an avid mountain biker. He played his entire 18-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers and was named to five NBA All-Star games. Reggie helped lead the Pacers to the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals appearance in 2000. When he retired in 2005, he held the record for most career 3-point field goals made.
He first tried mountain biking in 2000, but only occasionally rode until his retirement. At first, Reggie turned to cycling as a way to stay in shape but he quickly fell in love with the sport. He competes in individual cross-country and endurance events. He began racing competitively in the Beginner 50+ category, and in 2018 he upgraded to Sport, the mid-tier level of amateur racing.
He recently partnered with Castelli to create a kit, with all proceeds going towards the Equal Justice Initiative, to help fight social injustices. The kit is called Say Their Names. In addition, Team BOOMBABY and Castelli both fully matched the donations on the first 100 kits sold.
Reggie is currently in the process of starting up a road team of retired NBA players, including Vernon Maxwell, Richard Hamilton, Jesus Shuttlesworth, and himself. Although Reggie's primary discipline is mountain biking, he mostly trains on the road.
We had the opportunity to connect with Reggie and ask him about his inspiring kit, his plans for a possible Epic 2021 race, and what it meant to him winning the SouthRidge Winter Series race.
What inspired you to create the “Say Their Names” kit? What do you want the kit to represent when people wear it?
[REGGIE]: I created the Say Their Names kit to honor the men and women who don’t have a voice to express how they are feeling in today’s racially charged climate. I hope the kit represents the feelings many people of color face on a daily basis, so perhaps people can take a step back and actually read the words and start a dialogue.
Will there be another wave of the “Say Their Names” kits, and if so, when?
[REGGIE]: As of now there isn’t a designated time frame for a round two of the kits, my partners at Castelli and I were floored at the sales of the kits, we didn’t expect it to be so big! Trying to make the kits with the COVID pandemic was a bit overwhelming, so we never wanted to put people at risk, so we will pause for now until the world rights itself.
How are you preparing for the Epic 2021 race? What do you hope to accomplish at this race?
[REGGIE]: Truthfully it’s hard for me to prepare for the Epic 2021 race, it’s so far in the distance. Not knowing if we will have a vaccine or when the NBA season (my day job) will start and end in 2021 will also be factored in if I can even do the race. Because if I can’t train properly for it, there’s no sense of me doing it.
What did it mean to you winning the SouthRidge Winter Series race and honoring Kobe and Gigi during this ride?
At the SouthRidge Round 3 Winter Series Race, Reggie won first place for the Sport Men aged 50-59. He wanted to honor Kobe, Gigi, and the seven others that were lost too soon on January 26th, 2020.
[REGGIE]: Anytime you can win a Southridge race(s) in Fontana, which are arguably one of the toughest courses in the SoCal circuit is great, but when I decided to wear the all-white Kobe Angel kit to honor him, I knew I wasn’t racing for myself nor was I nervous about the technical course, for I really felt I was floating on the dirt that particular race. I truly believe in guardian angels, and for that one race, in that particular time, I had one.
Photos featuring Say Their Names kit by Hernan Rodriguez
