Sixers co-owner Micheal Rubin alongside his friend, Philly rapper Meek Mill, treated 26 local kids to a VIP experience during Wednesday night's Sixer's game against the Miami Heat. The event was all a part of an initiative for Rubin and Mill's 'REFORM Alliance' organization -- which is dedicated to those who’ve been affected unfairly by the probation system, with their sole goal being to change those provisions.
The event kicked off with the kids meeting celebrities including rapper Lil Baby, and TikTok stars, Charlie and Dixie D'Amelio and former 76er World B. Free -- along with Sixers co-managing partner Josh Harris, who gifted the children with special custom uniforms to wear while getting a chance to play basketball with them including Meek.
The kids were also treated to a private dinner with the celebrities at the event and even had a Q&A session with head coach Doc Rivers. They were gifted with gear from Rubin's Fanatics apparel company and had prime seats to watch the action alongside their families in what was unfournatly a loss for the Sixers.
Rubin told Sports Illustrated that the event served two purposes, one, to bring awareness to an issue that impacts millions of people every day -- including his buddy Mill, who has a murky history with the Philadelphia justice system, and secondly, to provide the kids with the best time of their lives.
"One, we got to give these kids literally the best day of their life," Rubin told Sports Illustrated. "They're here with Baby, Meek Mill, Charlie, and Dixie D’Amelio, you know, playing on the Sixers court. We're going to watch our shootaround, they're going to meet with our coach, they're going to sit courtside. We want them to literally have the best day of their life."
"Second thing we want to do is use that to bring attention to this issue," he continued. "I mean, we can not be putting people in prison who don't commit crimes. And that's how I learned about this issue when Meek went to prison for not committing a crime. He popped a wheelie on a motorcycle, got a traffic ticket, and he got sent to prison for two to four years. So, this about taking the same thing that affected him and how do we fix the underlying laws on a state-by-state basis?
This is the Philly-born rapper's latest effort in helping out his native city. According to TMZ, Mill -- with the help of Rubin and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, plan on donating over $500k in gifts to local kids in need across Philadelphia. Although Wednesday night was a success, Rubin points out that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
"Upfront I'm not sure people really understood the issue," said Rubin. "On the basketball side, the Sixers were behind it from day one. Not everyone understands this from day one. It's an issue you have to learn about. Once people understand, they say, 'Wow, this isn't fair, it doesn't make sense.' And they want to make a difference. So, you know, I think now everyone around me is so behind it, because I learned from Meek's experience, and then they learned from what I went through with Meek's experience, and I think people behind it are making a big difference."
As for the play on the court, despite both teams being shorthanded due to injuries and players being out with COVID, the Heat was able to hold off a furious comeback effort from the Sixers, who pulled within five points on Tyrese Maxey’s foul shots with nine minutes remaining. Then Danny Green and Tobias Harris closed the gap, evening the score to 96, but a Gabe Vincent three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Kyle Lowry sealed the deal, 101-96.
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