For those of us photographers that have been covering sports in Los Angeles for any length of time, it’s hard to imagine covering the Lakers without Kobe Bryant.
For 20 years Bryant has wowed basketball fans around the world. There have been countless media and fan tributes to Bryant since he announced that this would be his final season. But it’s been sports photographers that have had the front row seat.
With Bryant’s final game fast approaching, USA TODAY asked several Los Angeles–based photographers to offer their insight into his Hall of Fame career:
Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press: “I have been lucky enough to have photographed Kobe Bryant from the start of his career to the finish. I consider Kobe to be a photographer¹s dream in that he plays as if he knows what makes a great photograph. A lot of athletes can do amazing things, but very few can do it with the style and expression that Kobe can.”
Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register: “Always a competitor. Always the ‘Mamba.’ At the time it was hard to fathom his career ever ending, that some day he would hang up his sneakers and that it would all be over kind of snuck up on me. Call that the folly of youth (though I'm not that young anymore) or just naïveté, but having gone through it with Kobe, I've come to appreciate covering the once-a-generation talent that is Mike Trout.”
Scott Varley, Daily Breeze: “My favorite memory of shooting Kobe over the years was being on hand the night he scored 81 points against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006. By halftime, it seemed like something special was happening, Kobe had around 30 points if I remember. But in the 3rd quarter, Kobe began to really pour it on and in the 4th quarter, you could see his point total going through the roof. Everyone at Staples Center would explode each time he made a basket and his teammates kept feeding him the ball. By time it was over, he had 81 points and history was made, though he didn't break Wilt Chamberlin’s record. It was a fun night. Our editors cleared their planned A-1 coverage to make room for the breaking news that Kobe scored 81.”
Lucy Nicholson, Reuters News Pictures: “I photographed Kobe playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and for Team USA from 2001-14. His athleticism was magic to watch, especially in the early years of his career. I've never witnessed another basketball player with the same consistent desire to win as Kobe had at all times; it was an inspiration. I thought of Kobe off the court as a different person: an enigma with a personality I couldn't know from watching the pure joy of his basketball game.”
Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News: “I was fortunate to be able to photograph Kobe throughout his career. A few words and thoughts that come to mind when I think of him is being determined, tenacious, an almost no blinking will to win. A will to just destroy the other team. A superstar, yes. A Hall of Famer, of course.”
Mike Blake, Reuters News Pictures: “He was much faster to shoot than Michael Jordan. That's not to knock Michael in any way. Kobe came into the league as a kid out of high school and Michael was much older when you matched them up. Kobe also came in around the start of digital (cameras).”
PHOTOS: Capturing Kobe
