LeBron James had a date with basketball history last night in the United States. The Lakers giant did not disappoint his audience and beat – as hoped – the record of his predecessor under the gold and purple tunic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “LeBron” thus became the leading scorer in NBA history in an anecdotal home loss to Oklahoma City. The shoot fadeaway, mid-distance, was until then the aesthetic prerogative of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. This Tuesday evening, he became iconic for LeBron James as well.
During this most American night, the crowd present in the Crypto.com los angeles arena (formerly Staples Center) wanted to immortalize this moment, as seen in the background of the photo by Andrew D. Bernstein (head of article)of the Getty Agency, where almost all the spectators are camera in hand.
Everyone except Phil Knight. The iconic Nike founder sat with LeBron James’ two sons, first court, almost under the basket. The ex-boss of LeBron’s brand sponsor, who turns 85 on February 24, sits calmly with his hands on his knees, watching the moment, without the prism of a cellphone. A discrepancy that adds to the mythical character of the photo.
“She is iconic because the NBA wanted her to be”
Some were also quick to draw an analogy – underscoring the generational gap – with another legendary photo in NBA history: the legendary shot of Michael Jordan scoring the winning basket against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. the NBA in 1998.
“This photo is really for the story. It is iconic because the NBA wanted it, ”analyzes David Benarousse, commentator for league matches on BeIN Sports. “They really upped the ante in this game. They’ve been reminding you every day for a month that it’s going to happen. The goal was that it escapes no one, ”underlines the journalist. Not to mention that “breaking the record with the Lakers jersey makes it even more legendary, it’s more bankable than Cleveland,” he quips.
American sports know how to mythologize their athletes
American sports, through their culture of statistics and milestones, these outstanding career records, have long been able to create a myth around the performance of their athletes, which does not necessarily exist in Europe. “Cristiano Ronaldo’s national goal record, for example, has not been highlighted in the same way”, abounds David Benarousse, who also comments on football for the sports channel.
A reality that French basketball player Nando de Colo did not fail to highlight to the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, this Wednesday.
“With all due respect Madam Minister, it is a pity to wait for a foreign record to congratulate one’s own athletes. But thank you anyway, ”tweeted the international tricolor after the minister congratulated “King James” for his record, associating Nando De Colo a little awkwardly.