The Untold Story Behind The Most Iconic Basketball Photo

have you ever seen this photo before its iconic one of the most powerful photos the NBA has ever produced a young Kobe Bryant in the midst of a heated battle taking a moment to hear the wise words of his idol Michael Jordan it's been seen by millions but do you know the context of this picture the story behind it it's December 17 1997 the Lakers were 18 and 5 dominating the NBA behind superstar Shaquille O'Neal and a 19-year old soon to be all-star Kobe Bryant on the other end of the court you have the Chicago Bulls reigning NBA champs coming into the game with a record of 14 and 9 with the best player in the league the league's two best teams facing off in the Staples Center coming into this game Kobe Bryant wanted to make a statement against the great Michael Jordan this was the season he would break out as a legitimate NBA talent and proved to the world that he wasn't just another student of MJ's and with Shaq sideline this was Kobe's opportunity and it wouldn't take long for him to get his point across [Music] the future of the FDA [Applause] [Music] don't be Brian five personal fouls on [Applause] [Music] fact that he's a highlight [Music] coming off the bench a nineteen-year-old Kobe was going blow for blow with the league's MVP Mike with 36 Kobe with 33 the Lakers were taking a beating but Kobe was making a statement and with 7 minutes and 9 seconds left in the game in the middle of this intense matchup with Bulls small forward Scott Burrell at the line Kobe approaches Michael and sparks a conversation and a photographer snapped this photo Kobe asked Mike a question about his jump shots and Mike gives Kobe advice that without a doubt stuck with him for the rest of his career but pay attention to Kobe's demeanor Michael is doing the talking and Kobe is all ears listening attentively a moment for a young kid to hear from the man that he shaped his entire game after one of the most subtle but memorable moments in Kobe's career and there are many moments like this throughout the history of the game when a single photo captures the essence of a player a game a legacy when the story behind the photo is just as interesting as the photo itself some of these iconic images have backstories that we've all become familiar with whereas others come from seemingly insignificant moments that we would come to acknowledge years later like on December 6 2010 when the Miami Heat faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks just twenty two games into the new big three ERA and the heats weren't exactly living up to expectations with the record of 14 in aids this new era was getting off to a rocky start but during this seemingly uneventful December matchup LeBron and his right-hand man Dwyane Wade had a moment that would be the turning points in their sea after getting out to a6 to lead Dwyane Wade rebounds the ball and gets out on the break he spots LeBron trailing and dumps off a NOLA pass then a photographer on the baseline captures a photo that would be seen around the world [Applause] the game will be over LeBron with his trademark tomahawk d-wade with his arms outs a look of confidence like yeah that just happened a single moment that encapsulates one of the greatest duo's the league has ever seen following this game the heat would win 17 of their next 18 games and established themselves as the best team in the NBA and it was in this moment that we would all come to realize just how special that he would be speaking of dominant dynasties the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have proven to be two organizations that have controlled the league since its inception throughout the 80s these teams would face off in the most intense rivalry in basketball led by two all-time legends in Larry Bird and Magic Johnson since their days in college magic and birds seem to always find a way back to each other whether it was the n-c-double-a championship the MVP race or the NBA Playoffs it always came right back down to Bird and Magic and in the 1985 NBA Finals it was no different after beating the Lakers in the finals the season prior the intensity between these two teams was at an all-time high fights were breaking out every single game and neither team was going to back down it's Game two in Boston Garden after going back and forth for three quarters the Lakers have gotten out to a decent leader early in the forest but the Celtics refused to break Bird has 20 in the half and Magic is sitting on a double-double with less than five minutes left in the game bird feeds Robert Parish inside and parish sinks the bucket after drawing the foul this play in particular isn't all that special but what follows is a moments that will be remembered forever as parish lines up the shot Bird and Magic stand side-by-side ready to box each other out and then this happens [Music] after being hit by McAdoo rape hands by landline [Applause] in a moment that was seemingly insignificance a photographer snaps a photo that would summarize the greatest rivalry in the history of the sports two dynasties two legends battling it out on the greatest stage after all this box out was irrelevant Robert Parish sunk the shots but the photo itself isn't what makes this moment so incredible it's the story behind it that has cemented this picture as one of the NBA's most recognizable images Bird and Magic weren't just fighting for a rebound they were fighting for their legacies another legend that had to fight for his legacy was Reggie Miller a player that had to claw his way through one of the toughest eras of the Eastern Conference Miller had to play the Bulls dynasty a New York Knicks squad with Patrick Ewing and John Starks an Orlando Magic team with the best young duo in the league with Shaq and Penny and a dominant Miami Heat team with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway all four teams having 60 win seasons throughout Reggie's prime but despite Miller being the best shooter in his day and leading the Pacers to the top spot in the Eastern Conference on three occasions he was never able to get them over the top he got close again and again and again but close was never close enough however of all the incredible moments the great Reggie Miller has given to the game his most memorable one came in Game four of the 1994 NBA Finals the Pacers were facing off against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden after being up two games to zero early in the series the Pacers fought back to tie it up two games apiece Indiana had all the momentum and they brought that same energy in Game five with Spike Lee in attendance after trailing by 12 points at the end of the third Reggie Miller activates Miller time and absolutely buries the Knicks in the fourth jeez a tune adheres better for threes and he appears to be fine he will from downtown of this fourth quarter [Applause] Miller would go on to score 25 points in the fourth quarter alone but while having the game of his career Spike Lee was taking parts in his usual banter at this point spike has become a staple at Knicks games where there is heated action going down in the garden you are sure to see Spike Lee close by now most players may play along a bit maybe say a thing or two and move on but on this day Reggie had time and in the midst of dropping 39 on spikes team Reggie Miller shut Spike Lee down with one of the most infamous moments in playoff history [Applause] Reggie Miller giving the short side as if spike didn't already know his team was blowing the lead in the series Miller gave that man a clear reminder a reminder that stood as a warning for all trash talkers after adding insult to injury and humiliating the Knicks in their own house it was clear that spike was not ready for the smoke just look at him pathetic now I want to in this video with a brief story about the most recognizable photo in NBA history this one well not the logo itself but the photo it was designed after in 1969 the NBA wanted to separate itself from its newly found competition in the ABA so the National Basketball Association commissioned Allan Segal to create a logo for the league and after searching for the perfect picture to design the logo after Allan stumbled upon this photo of Jerry West thus the famous NBA logo was born only this is not the photo the logo was based off of despite this being the image most fans associate with the logo this is the wrong picture the actual image that inspired the logo is this one a photo of Jerry West driving to the basket circa 1966 in fact when you put the photo side-by-side with the logo itself the resemblance is uncanny why this image has been tagged with the logo image is a mystery some fans theorized that the league wanted a distance itself from the idea of designing a logo after one specific player so they found an image that was similar enough to give inspiration to the design but not so similar that it can definitively be one player in particular but again when looking at the NBA logo and this specific picture of Jerry West it's clear that the NBA just that let me know in the comments below what is the most iconic basketball photo ever taken and why is it the image the moments leading up to it where the players themselves that have made these photos so iconic be sure to subscribe to join High Roller nation and as always until next time [Music]

Channel: JxmyHighroller

Views: 3,395,859

Keywords: Michael Jordan, Lakers, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Highroller, House of highlights, NBA highlights, Ja Morant, James Harden, Most points in a basketball game, Luka Doncic, Ball Brothers, Lamelo Ball, Pheonix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, Best dunk ever, longest three pointer, basketball highlights, basketball mix, Zion Williamson, Kristopher London, Trae Young, NBA mix, LeBron James Jr

Id: X6X9eJdZ9AQ

Length: 12min 4sec (724 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 25 2019