With a simple shutter click, freelance photographer Jordan Jimenez set the sports world on fire this past weekend.
In the fourth quarter of Friday’s win against the Chicago Bulls, Warriors superstar Steph Curry launched a 3-pointer from the left corner, uncontested, and pointed to a fan before it splashed through the net. Jimenez snapped an iconic shot from near the top of the lower bowl at Chase Center that has since been circulated, liked and favorited millions of times around the world.
While the ball hangs above the rim, four players gather under the hoop, their eyes fixated on the orange sphere in space. On the sidelines, Juan Toscano-Anderson has his arm raised in premature triumph, Andre Iguodala’s expression says, ‘Yep, that’s going in’ and Bay Area rap legend E-40 is tucked in the frame behind the glass backboard, because of course he is. Almost everyone seems to be mesmerized by the impending splash.
“Except the guy shooting the freakin’ basketball,” Jimenez said. “He’s a maniac. He’s so good at what he does and just that confidence. Just Steph being Steph. It’s just insane. That one frozen moment in time just really shows how great he is.”
The photo has blown up since Jimenez posted it Saturday afternoon. Bleacher Report is already calling it one of the “coldest photos in NBA history.”
Jimenez was in Las Vegas Saturday afternoon with friends pregaming for the ‘Day N Vegas’ music festival when he edited the photo and fired it off, before heading to the festival grounds on the north end of the Strip.
With tens of thousands of people packed into a tight area, Jimenez didn’t have much cell phone service as his photo made waves on social media. He eventually got a signal and was able to reply to direct messages from accounts like ESPN, SportsCenter and Bleacher Report. From there, Jimenez’s photo went viral while he was at the festival.
“Luckily the messages went through,” Jimenez said. “After that it got super hectic.”
As of Monday morning, Jimenez’s phone is still blowing up with companies and outlets trying to license it or show it on their platforms.
“Numbers are just going crazy,” Jimenez said. “It’s insane. It’s kind of surreal.”
As he shot and cropped the photo, Jimenez thought it might be well-received. He had no idea it’d have worldwide reach and impact.
“We’re in the 75th year of the NBA and some people are considering one of the coldest photos in history?,” Jimenez said. “It could definitely change my life. The crazy thing is, I don’t even really think that’s my best photo ever. It’s moreso really the moment. And Steph is Steph.”
The stars aligned for Jimenez on the photo’s composition -- from Steph being by his lonesome, the angle of his pointed finger, the ball floating high in its arc, the captivation of the crowd and players. Jimenez put the finishing touches by adding his coloring style, which emphasizes highs/lows and black/white tones to create more focus on the athletes.
“It really lined up for me,” Jimenez said. “As much preparation as it was, it really was a lot of luck, too.”
The inclusion of E-40 was an added bonus to the iconic snapshot.
“I didn’t realize he was in the photo until people on Twitter started cropping into his face, like below the ball,” Jimenez said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God I had no idea.’ It makes the photo so much more fun. It really just added to the photo that he’s right below the ball and looking through the backboard. That was crazy.”
The 23-year-old San Bruno native has been shooting Warriors intermittently since they moved to Chase Center. Jimenez initially linked up with Warriors guard Jordan Poole at a local gym during his rookie season and the two struck up a quick friendship over things like the video game Super Smash Brothers. Jimenez has since worked with Curry on Under Armour shoots while also getting to know other players like Damion Lee, Gary Payton II and Juan-Toscano Anderson.
“A lot of these guys on the team have been super supportive and messing with me the past few years,” Jimenez said. “It’s just a blessing to know they’re in my corner.”
Heading into 2021-22, Jimenez agreed to document Poole’s career -- from the court to his lifestyle -- in an effort to build the burgeoning star’s brand.
After shooting for Bay Area rapper P-Lo at ‘Day N Vegas’ on Sunday, Jimenez actually flew to New York to meet Poole and take photos of him around the city, at museums and on the streets, before the Warriors face the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center Tuesday night.
“We’re doing everything off the court, on the court, traveling, at his house -- whatever it is,” Jimenez said. “We’re just trying to do our best to tell his story in a creative way.”
As for the Steph photo, Jimenez said he still has the full photo burst of the entire sequence and may be sharing more frames later. He’ll also be shooting at Chase Center for the rest of the season, so be on the lookout for more of Jimenez’s work.
