How ya like him now?
As Mutoni and I found our seats at the press table high above the Staples Center in L.A. and settled in to watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Marcel asked me about the game recap pieces he and I would be writing for SLAM 131. What exactly, he wondered, should we be aiming for?
I told Marcel that I always think of the issue of SLAM that drops after the Finals almost like a yearbook. By the time the issue is on newsstands, it’s been almost a month since the Finals ended. Not only is the season always over, but the Draft has happened and summer league is in full swing. But this is what we do. SLAM started putting Finals winners on the cover back in 1997 (issue 20 — Scottie Pippen), and after a few years off, we’ve done it every year since the summer of 2000 with SLAM 45 (featuring the Victorious B.I.G.).
Since we’re obviously not breaking any news by having the winner of the Finals on the cover, I’ve always looked at this issue as a keepsake, something hoops fans can cop and hold on to and then look back on, years later, to remember which Finals game went to overtime or which game Kobe it was that Kobe made that weird face where he stuck his jaw out (all of the games!).
With our mission clearly defined, putting together this cover has become about highlighting the story of the Finals. As soon as the Lakers won Game 5 and started celebrating, I got a text from Khalid that read “Gotta do the Kobe scowl pic for the cover right? Lol.”
The thing is, it’s not always that easy. While we’re trying to capture the story and spirit of the Finals with the cover image, we have to find a picture that works as a cover, meaning there has to be room for cover lines and all that stuff.
For this cover image, it came down to three options. One thought was to find a picture of the Lakers as a team, to symbolize that it was teamwork that brought the Lakers this title. We found a picture of Kobe, Gasol, Bynum and Lamar that wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t great (Gasol had his back to the camera). And the more we thought about it, the less we liked the idea. Because really, no matter how you want to look at it, the 2009 Finals were about Kobe finally winning a title as the man. He carried these Lakers, he won the Finals MVP, he cemented his personal greatness and he laid the cornerstone for what could very easily be a new dynasty. That’s the accomplishment we wanted to recognize.
This left us with two choices. One was a picture of Kobe jumping into the air immediately after Game 5 ended (similar to this one). But again, to me that isn’t what I’ll remember about the 2009 NBA Finals. My lasting memory of the 2009 NBA Finals will be nobody being able to stop Kobe. The celebrating image is Kobe commemorating what was finished, not what was beginning. And I think the image we chose for our cover accurately reflects that. (BTW, for everyone who says we hate Kobe, please note this is Kobe’s third cover in our last six issues. Haters.)
SLAM 131 isn’t entirely about Kobe and Lakers. We’ve also got our annual Year in Photos (a.k.a. Dome Shots), and it’s longer than we’ve been able to run it the last few years, so there’s a lot of dope pics for your walls. Also, some great features on guys like Danny Granger, Kevin Love, the debut of new High School Diary keeper Harrison Barnes, plus a beautiful old school story on former Sacto star Ricky Berry (RIP).
So that’s it. The issue is out now on newsstands. Cop it.
Oh, and here’s the cover…
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The official Los Angeles Lakers Championship DVD is coming to stores this Tuesday! To celebrate the release, we’re having 2 signings in LA with Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton. Check out the signing locations and times below.
The following autograph signings will take place on Tuesday, July 14th:
Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton
Wal-Mart – Store #3477
7250 Carson Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90808
Signing will take place from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
**Please note fans must purchase a copy of the DVD in order to receive an autograph Derek Fisher
Best Buy
740 S. Sepulveda Blvd
El Segundo, CA 90245
Signing will take place from 6:00-7:30 PM
Shaq and Lebron +8
Matrix on Dallas
Vinsanity on Orlando
Lakers and Artest
Arenas coming back for the Wiz
Rashweed to the Celts Lots of interesting plotlines next year for sure.
Roscoe in Beantown with braids……
I hope they do use that pic….
It’ll look great next to the pic of Kobe telling the cops:
“I should have done what Shaq does…”
Iverson has a host of issues, but nobody, NOBODY, can match Kobe.
Congrats Kobe-the Greatest!!!
can’t wait for the cover
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But this cover is def. cool for Anthony Randolph, Ya’ll. And looks better than the NBA2K10 Kobe cover.
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Now they don’t post as much here and she’s calling people out? F that. Ban Anton, that ain’t up to me, whatever… but don’t call out Eboy and Brad, people who have been here a helluva long time, who have been the same dude since the “good ol’ commenting days” (whatever the hell that is), because they post the same way Myles, Ryan, and Russ do.
Other darkhorses include Chase Buddinger and Toney Douglas.
I suppose I forgot to mention Brandon Jennings. If he’s given the reins of starting point guard, he’s got a shot at Rookie of the Year, maybe more so than most other prospects. He’s got a real shot at finishing top 3 in rookie standings.
come on a KOBE related page (just to hate) Jukai you sound like a lil kid talking back to his momma threatening not to eat his veggies! Lmao, If i can’t act like a little boy im not buying ish 131!!! Sucker. “Turk 182″ was on his big brothers badge, who died & was a firefighter i think.
The Seed: Look, I love Anton and I think he’s got a great sense of humor. His jokes have gone a bit over the top recently. I got no problem with it, but if someone does, he’s got an e-mail address, you e-mail him and deal with it privately, and if he doesn’t scale things back, you ban him: that’s how things are done ‘professionally.’ Susan should know better.
My MAIN beef isn’t with the Anton stuff– it’s with B Long and Eboy being called out for doing what I’ve seen WRITERS for the website do countless, countless number of times. Once again, if you got a problem with what they’re doing, you e-mail them, and ask them to scale things back. If there are problems with contacting people, put in a registration system. End of story.
“You evah been on a real shrimpin’ boat, Forrest?”
Two best defenders in the NBA: Shane Battier and Ron Artest. Am I the only one who thinks its total BS that LeBron and Kobe BOTH made all-defensive 1st team, while those guys got 2nd team? Its definitely starting to seem like the All NBA Defensive Team has started catering to the big names… I mean at least have ONE of those guys, either Shane or Artest make 1st Defensive. I don’t care how great LeBron James is at the game of basketball, he will never be a better defender than Ron Artest and Shane Battier. Kobe is close, but no cigar, either. Also, when will Shane Battier get a defensive player of the year award?
Flynn is a bonafide pure point guard, and Wayne Ellington is a bonafide shooter. The Timberwolves blew it on drafting Rubio, but Johnny Flynn and Wayne Ellington has the POTENTIAL to be MUCH better than the Foye/Mike Miller backcourt. You heard it here first.
But fear not, young Hisham, for I am never too far. All one has to do is mention the name of a certain snake and I appear faster than Shelden Williams on his honeymoon.
the cover is just awful taste…
Kobe has just delivered what he missed last season with a huge playoff campaign, specially that game 1 of the finals (mj-like) and you choose such a bad shot for the cover?
i think thats just another way to hate the guy, but undercover… bad choice.
And what’s the deal with airline food?
And what’s the deal with airline food?
Lebron: 0, bad sportsmanship and hides tape!!!
He did it without SHAQ.
He can do it with Fisher. So stop. Hes the man.
RESPECT! Zak
ill give you this- the lakers deserve a championship cover,
but seriously
hes been on the cover, or shared the cover on 3 of the last 7 issues!
this is getting old
share the regular season love because everyone seems to think hes going to be reaping the glory in the offseason cheers
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