Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch tagged along with Charles Barkley as the big man experienced New York’s subways for the first time yesterday. He was going out to Brooklyn for TNT’s coverage of the Knicks-Nets game.

Again, this is a perfect example of what you can do with an iPhone in the new age of media.

From Deitsch’s story.

4:02 p.m. Barkley has made it through the MetroCard entry with the help of one of New York City’s Finest. But the 6-foot-4 Barkley nearly his hits his head on a sign above when going through the entrance.

4:03 p.m. People in the subway start recognizing him. He poses for a couple of photos and shakes hands.

4:04 p.m. The E train comes by and passengers disembark into the station. A young guy walks off the E and his brain registers who is in front of him “Hey, you’re Charles Barkley,” says the man. This is true. Barkley responds, “How y’all doing?”

4:07 p.m. Kimberly Esteras, a 21-year-old from the Bronx, asks Barkley for a photo. I ask if she knows who Barkley is. She says her father, Miguel, is a big NBA fan. Barkley averaged 25.6 points for the Phoenix Suns the year she was born.

4:12 p.m. We hop on the C train. The camera phones come out. Someone asks Barkley if he is going to the Knicks-Nets game. Time for another crack. “I’m going to a pillow fight,” he says.