For many fans around the world, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are the 3 most influential personalities in basketball history. But did you know that the 3 men had already been photographed together? Let’s take a look back at this historical picture and its backstage.
Ask anyone about basketball from 1990 to today, and you can be sure that the names Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James will be among the first mentioned. The three men have each achieved huge careers, left a colossal legacy, and are often compared for the GOAT title.
All of that hasn’t stopped a huge mutual respect from always being present between them, which is proven by a snapshot dating back to the mid-2000s. It brings together MJ, the Mamba, the King, Carmelo Anthony, Moses Malone and Cynthia Cooper :
156,632 combined career points pictured in this photo of walking buckets. pic.twitter.com/lGdF8FX5Gb
— Adam Howes (@Howsito) September 3, 2020
Where does this cult cliché come from? Why is it only now resurfacing? Patience, we answer you. If this photo has recently come back to the forefront, it’s because Cynthia Cooper, the WNBA player in question, was a guest on a podcast called « The Truth ». She told the behind-the-scenes story of that moment for the ages:
There was a big event hosted by Nike, and at the time I was heavy in the WNBA. It was a great night because we all spoke the same language.
It was like magnets, we were drawn to each other. We just hung out, talked basketball, took advice, how to improve… I love being around greatness because you can relax and be at peace with your mentality. People don’t see you as crazy, you’re not the odd one out. You are part of this elite group, you all have the same approach, and you understand each other.
We would have liked to be a little fly that night to listen to the conversations between these 6, that’s for sure…
