SLAM Magazine is the basketball bible. The scripture to the game I love. My bedroom walls were adorned by many a SLAM-A-DA-MONTH and other iconic imagery featured within its pages. So you can imagine the warm and toasty feeling I got when I received a call to shoot the cover for issue #225 featuring three high school phenoms. I was especially proud to learn that the subjects were Josh Christopher, Sharife Cooper, and Jalen Green—all Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) alumni whom I’ve photographed many times throughout their high school tenure. Peep some of the outtakes and the final cover from this shoot.

Sharing the moment with these rising stars was an honor and yet it felt comfortable. I felt right at home having done my research and built out a bright studio set up. Royce Paris, Mark Espada, and Aldin Medunjanin all assisted with building out our makeshift studio at SLAM HQ and making sure everything flowed smoothly. From the beginning, we set the tone for a fun and focused shoot. I have done other editorial work with SLAM over the years and the squad there has become an extended family for me. While my teams are usually close-knit and have a great time together, this felt a little extra special.

When I first decided to pursue basketball photography, I tried to reverse engineer what a great career in the field could look like. I identified some milestones that might be on such a journey. Things like shooting the Olympics, the NBA, high major NCAA, prestigious basketball events around the globe, and, of course, a SLAM cover. While I’ve worked tirelessly to be prepared just in case such opportunities knocked on my door, it is still surreal to think that I have been able to thrive in these spaces coming from such humble beginnings on the Lower East Side.

When the guys arrived, we got straight to work and the fun started immediately. My team was locked in the entire time as we moved through all the looks and exchanged laughs all night. The experience was amplified because of the people involved. From the team at SLAM to Jalen, Josh, and Sharife to Royce, Aldin, and Mark with whom I’ve been building for years, it could not have gone better. Special thanks to SPT and Adam at SLAM for the assist.