Reginald L. Love (born April 29, 1981) is an American personal aide, former college basketball player, and media editor. Love served as the special assistant and personal aide, commonly referred to as

body man In U.S. political jargon, a civilian personal assistant who accompanies the president of the United States virtually everywhere is referred to as a body man or body woman. These personal aides to the president are often responsible for arrangin ...

, to U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

.Going from one tough job to another: Love working for Obama
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, March 12, 2008 Love left this position around the end of 2011 to complete his

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

degree at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

Wharton School The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in P ...

. In July 2015,

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); ...

announced that Love would become an editor-at-large for its sports site, Vice Sports.

Education

Love attended high school at

Providence Day School Providence Day School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He graduated with a degree in political science and public policy from Duke University. While at Duke, he was a two-sport athlete, playing both football and basketball. He played wide receiver for the Duke Blue Devils football team on a football scholarship. Love also played forward for the Duke Blue Devils basketball team. He was a walk-on as a freshman, and later became team captain as a senior. He played on the 2001 team that won the NCAA national championship.

Career

Obama Administration

Love applied for an internship on Capitol Hill in 2006. He was interviewed by

Robert Gibbs Robert Lane Gibbs (born March 29, 1971) is an American communication professional who served as executive vice president and global chief communications officer of McDonald's from 2015 to 2019 and as the 27th White House Press Secretary from 20 ...

, Obama's

communications director Director of communications is a position in both the private and public sectors. A director of communications is responsible for managing and directing an organization's internal and external communications. Directors of communications supervis ...

, for a position in Obama's Senate office. He was hired with the title of Deputy Political Director. He became Obama's personal assistant in 2007, during the 2008 presidential campaign. As Obama's aide, his job was to anticipate any and all of Obama's needs. In reference to the myriad support duties Love performed, Obama referred to Love as his "iReggie", a play on Apple's

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...

, humorously stating that "I have an iReggie, who has my books, my newspapers, my music all in one place".Education of a President
''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...

'', October 12, 2010 Love and Obama played basketball every day there was a primary during the 2008 presidential election, and they played regularly in the following years, always on the same side. Love and Obama's friends organised a game of basketball on the White House basketball court to celebrate Obama's 50th birthday. The game featured the NBA players Shane Battier,

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

, Magic Johnson,

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx, who is currently on sabbatical. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the greatest ...

, Alonzo Mourning,

Joakim Noah Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is an American-born French-Swedish former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago B ...

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...

and Derrick Rose in addition to Obama's friends from high school. Kobe Bryant and

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...

were spectators. Obama has described Love as his "little brother."

Post-White House

Love left the

White House Office The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The White House Office is headed by the White House chief of staff, who is also the head of the Executive Office of the President. The ...

to complete his MBA at

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...

in 2012. After graduation, he became a partner and vice president for RON Transatlantic Holdings. Love authored a memoir, titled ''Power Forward: My Presidential Education'', about his time working for President Obama. The book was released in February 2015. In July 2015, Love became an editor-at-large for Vice Sports, in addition to his role at

. In 2019, Love endorsed Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Reggie 1981 births African-American people American football wide receivers Basketball players from Charlotte, North Carolina Duke Blue Devils football players Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Living people Obama administration personnel Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina American men's basketball players American memoirists Providence Day School alumni