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PORTFOLIO
The Calm (Part 1)
In a game as physical (and at times as violent) as professional football, you'd expect dropping a player listed at 170 lbs in the middle of that world would be a recipe for chaos and panic to overtake their every move. If the player is DeVonta Smith though...the opposite would be true
Precision and control are more of what comes to mind when you see the way he moves through gamedays. Watch him in pre-game warmups, and then the game itself. You can even watch all the way through the post-game interviews and that constant execution of, and attention to, the details is always evident
Don't want to just go off of the "eye test"? Fair Enough - let's look at the results (so far):
2x National Champion in College, Heisman Trophy winner, Top 10 Draft pick, 3x 1,000 yard receiving seasons, Super Bowl Champion....oh and if you were still worried about his size - missed only 4 games in his first 5 seasons as a pro
Honestly, it's a lot to be excited about - you could understand how it would be difficult to stay so calm. He just makes it look like it’s easy...
Precision and control are more of what comes to mind when you see the way he moves through gamedays. Watch him in pre-game warmups, and then the game itself. You can even watch all the way through the post-game interviews and that constant execution of, and attention to, the details is always evident
Don't want to just go off of the "eye test"? Fair Enough - let's look at the results (so far):
2x National Champion in College, Heisman Trophy winner, Top 10 Draft pick, 3x 1,000 yard receiving seasons, Super Bowl Champion....oh and if you were still worried about his size - missed only 4 games in his first 5 seasons as a pro
Honestly, it's a lot to be excited about - you could understand how it would be difficult to stay so calm. He just makes it look like it’s easy...
Sonic Boom
A loud, "thunder-like" sound created by the rapid pressure change of shock waves that form when an object travels faster than the speed of sound
Honestly Jahmyr Gibbs didn't have to yell at the end of the 2024 regular season, what he did on the field that year was already deafening. One could understand though how there was an instinct to let out a Lion-like roar when you consider all that had been accomplished: League leader in touchdowns, Team record rushing touchdowns, over 1000 yards rushing, Etc,....all while helping the Lions to a franchise record 15 win season that positioned them as the number one overall team going into the playoffs
While the postseason didn't exactly follow the same script as the record setting regular season, ending abruptly in the first round, I would remind you of something else about a Sonic Boom:
A key characteristic is that, unlike the idea of a one-time event when "breaking" the sound barrier, a Sonic Boom is a continuous phenomenon that occurs as long as an object is flying at supersonic speeds
Don't stop covering your ears quite yet...
Honestly Jahmyr Gibbs didn't have to yell at the end of the 2024 regular season, what he did on the field that year was already deafening. One could understand though how there was an instinct to let out a Lion-like roar when you consider all that had been accomplished: League leader in touchdowns, Team record rushing touchdowns, over 1000 yards rushing, Etc,....all while helping the Lions to a franchise record 15 win season that positioned them as the number one overall team going into the playoffs
While the postseason didn't exactly follow the same script as the record setting regular season, ending abruptly in the first round, I would remind you of something else about a Sonic Boom:
A key characteristic is that, unlike the idea of a one-time event when "breaking" the sound barrier, a Sonic Boom is a continuous phenomenon that occurs as long as an object is flying at supersonic speeds
Don't stop covering your ears quite yet...
Neither Rain nor Snow….
Much like the famous saying adopted by the US Postal Service, there were no elements that ever seemed to prevent Tom Brady from “delivering”
It’s understandable how he was likely underestimated early on when facing harsh weather conditions. A California kid coming first to Michigan in his collegiate years then on to New England as a pro - these are two places that have never been confused atmospherically with California. Despite his West Coast roots though he not only survived in it, he thrived in it. Quickly turning what many would expect to be a weakness into a competitive advantage used against the competition for years to come, as a parade of teams would have to helplessly file through Foxboro each winter to face him in what was now his “element”
This drawing captures somebody that seems completely un-phased by the snow falling around them, nor the bitter cold air that accompanies it. The eyes show a focus only on the job at hand, and a determination to complete that job - to deliver - no matter the conditions
It’s understandable how he was likely underestimated early on when facing harsh weather conditions. A California kid coming first to Michigan in his collegiate years then on to New England as a pro - these are two places that have never been confused atmospherically with California. Despite his West Coast roots though he not only survived in it, he thrived in it. Quickly turning what many would expect to be a weakness into a competitive advantage used against the competition for years to come, as a parade of teams would have to helplessly file through Foxboro each winter to face him in what was now his “element”
This drawing captures somebody that seems completely un-phased by the snow falling around them, nor the bitter cold air that accompanies it. The eyes show a focus only on the job at hand, and a determination to complete that job - to deliver - no matter the conditions
Star of Stars
What more is there to say that hasn't been said ? However good you remember him being - I promise he was better. He is the epitome of a Sports Icon. His silhouette is a logo that adorns the uniforms of sports he didn't even play!
Amongst all the accolades and achievements he would collect over his career he was selected to the NBA All-Star team 14 times in his 15 year career, and won MVP of the game 3 times.
While there are surely more "meaningful" achievements that could be listed I think we are already well versed in those. I mention the All Star games only for what I would remember the commissioner saying when he'd hand over the MVP trophy: "In a game of stars, you were the star of stars"
I don't think there is a more perfect way to say it
Amongst all the accolades and achievements he would collect over his career he was selected to the NBA All-Star team 14 times in his 15 year career, and won MVP of the game 3 times.
While there are surely more "meaningful" achievements that could be listed I think we are already well versed in those. I mention the All Star games only for what I would remember the commissioner saying when he'd hand over the MVP trophy: "In a game of stars, you were the star of stars"
I don't think there is a more perfect way to say it
Breaking Through
Throughout the 2010 - 2011 season LeBron and the Heat learned quickly how to operate as "The Villian" - eventually seeming to even embrace it as they rolled into the Playoffs. Despite their success and business like demeanor each and every night, you could sense that the months long scrutiny and criticisms had to be taking a toll - particularly on LeBron in the wake of "The Decision" that brought him to South Beach.
As a result we'd start to see more and more emotion on the court as the Heat inched closer to their ultimate goal of a Championship, with emphatic fist pumps from LeBron becoming common as they moved through each round enroute to the Finals.
While the goal of a Championship wasn't realized, and an avalanche of criticism would come down on top of him, everyone that watched knew that they needed to get their shots in now because he was no longer just knocking on the door - he was breaking through it
As a result we'd start to see more and more emotion on the court as the Heat inched closer to their ultimate goal of a Championship, with emphatic fist pumps from LeBron becoming common as they moved through each round enroute to the Finals.
While the goal of a Championship wasn't realized, and an avalanche of criticism would come down on top of him, everyone that watched knew that they needed to get their shots in now because he was no longer just knocking on the door - he was breaking through it
The Imperfect Answer
There may not have been a more turbulent path to sports superstardom than the one Allen Iverson traveled. It was a path that eventually landed him as not just a basketball legend, but also what many would consider a global cultural icon. So, while I'm no biographer, and this is not the place to recount the entire story, I think it's safe to characterize the journey as "Imperfect".
Imperfect like the man himself - like all of us really....just human. Imperfect at times but then also capable of doing incredible things that, from afar, we might view as perfection...unfairly creating an expectation that this human will then be perfect in all things they do...at all times.
That's not reality though, and along the way the idea of being "real" became synonymous with Allen Iverson. He displayed that imperfection of reality in everything he did, said, wore...and it endeared him to millions. This was not the corporate created, PR trained, polished "product" we'd mostly been presented with over the years - this was something much more relatable, much more human...while at the same time performing incredible feats on the court which looked anything but human. He truly was "The Answer"
This picture itself also carriers with it imperfections. It was done in 2001, traveling its own rocky 24-year path to make it out into the world. Like AI it's been bumped, bruised, damaged in various ways. It was completed many years ago, with the limited tools available to me at the time. You can see marks of mistakes that could not be erased no matter how hard I tried. To be honest I didn't want to even put it out given all of its flaws...but then I thought about it. I realized that there could not be a more perfect subject than Allen Iverson to take such an imperfect picture and make it somehow...I don't know...perfect
Imperfect like the man himself - like all of us really....just human. Imperfect at times but then also capable of doing incredible things that, from afar, we might view as perfection...unfairly creating an expectation that this human will then be perfect in all things they do...at all times.
That's not reality though, and along the way the idea of being "real" became synonymous with Allen Iverson. He displayed that imperfection of reality in everything he did, said, wore...and it endeared him to millions. This was not the corporate created, PR trained, polished "product" we'd mostly been presented with over the years - this was something much more relatable, much more human...while at the same time performing incredible feats on the court which looked anything but human. He truly was "The Answer"
This picture itself also carriers with it imperfections. It was done in 2001, traveling its own rocky 24-year path to make it out into the world. Like AI it's been bumped, bruised, damaged in various ways. It was completed many years ago, with the limited tools available to me at the time. You can see marks of mistakes that could not be erased no matter how hard I tried. To be honest I didn't want to even put it out given all of its flaws...but then I thought about it. I realized that there could not be a more perfect subject than Allen Iverson to take such an imperfect picture and make it somehow...I don't know...perfect
KB8
There were 2 distinct chapters in Kobe Bryant's career that were marked by the numbers he wore. From a seldom used rookie in 1996, through the 2005-2006 season where he was undoubtedly one of the best (if not the best) players in professional basketball, Kobe wore the number 8
As these were the years of "ascension" they were exciting and full of moments you could point to and say THIS is where he crossed over into the category of one of the game's "Greats"
By his own admission 2002-2003 was a period where he felt his individual abilities may have been near or at their peak, going so far as to say in an interview that he would have debates with MJ about how that version would stack up against Jordan in '91.
We never got to see that matchup, but we did get to see a 2002-2003 that was an encapsulation of the combination of his competitiveness, effort, skill and athleticism - displayed on the biggest stages - that would ultimately cement Kobe Bryant as an Iconic player
As these were the years of "ascension" they were exciting and full of moments you could point to and say THIS is where he crossed over into the category of one of the game's "Greats"
By his own admission 2002-2003 was a period where he felt his individual abilities may have been near or at their peak, going so far as to say in an interview that he would have debates with MJ about how that version would stack up against Jordan in '91.
We never got to see that matchup, but we did get to see a 2002-2003 that was an encapsulation of the combination of his competitiveness, effort, skill and athleticism - displayed on the biggest stages - that would ultimately cement Kobe Bryant as an Iconic player
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