Sixers’ Paul Reed finding success off the court with his ‘Out The Mud’ hoodie sales

Paul Reed’s hoodie business is becoming a social media hit.

For less than two months, the 76ers center has been selling “Out The Mud” hoodies for $100 through his Twitter account, @Bball_paul, where customers reach out to him via direct message.

“I try to respond to as many people as possible,” Reed said. “It’s working out for me.”

That might be an understatement. His green hoodies in medium are sold out until February. People can’t get enough of his merchandise with the phrase that means come from the bottom of something and rise to the top.

“It’s been crazy,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, too. For me, I have to make sure I can’t let this business interrupt my business on the court. And, you know, that’s the most important. So it’s like sometimes I have to scale back so I can stay focused on basketball, knowing all the scouting reports and stuff like that.”

On the court, he took averages of 2.7 points, 3.1, rebounds and 9½ minutes into Friday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center. Off the court, he’s intent on meeting his customers’ demands.

“I’m working on more colors,” he said. “I can get almost any color. So I’m letting people personalize their hoodies.”

However, not everyone is happy to shell out $100 to buy a sturdy Champion hoodie with Reed’s motto on the front. Reed has received complaints about the price and pleas for him to make it more affordable.

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It costs $60 to make the hoodie, and the total price includes shipping and handling.

“In my mind, I’m like it’s not going to be worth it if I lower the prices,” he said. “It’s like I’m putting a lot of time and energy into this. It’s gotta be worth it for me. I ain’t trying to tax them too crazy. But I gotta make it worth it for myself.”

The hoodies are made in Orlando, Fla., but he does most of the work in Philly. He personally takes all of the orders, gets the tracking numbers, and sends them out to the customers.

As a rookie, Reed partnered with a brand called PWFRD that sold hoodies. He ended his ties with the company following that season to begin his own hoodie business, The Hookup.

“But I didn’t really start selling until this year,” he said. “I was trying to get the website ready for so long. It’s been taking too long. So I was like, ‘Forget it, I’ll just sell them on Twitter and see what I can do.’”

And so far, it’s been a success. Right now, Reed is living in the moment and hasn’t thought about whether this is something he’d like to do long-term.

But Reed did explain why he began the company.

“Money is going to keep getting spent,” he said. “A hustler is going to get some more. So that’s kind of how I look at it. I spend a lot of money. I still have a lot of things I need to buy, so I feel like a little positive income isn’t going to hurt.”