Having worked with numerous HOF level athletes before, photographer Gary Land became a must-follow for BSTN ever since he created AI, The Iverson Book. Blessed with unique access throughout The Answer’s career, the artist captured countless photographs and behind-the-scenes moments that make up a must-have hardcover coffee-table book about one of the arguably most influential ball players of all time.
But it is one of Land’s latest projects that shows the influence of one of AI’s peers through an entirely different lens: Kobe Bryant.
I teamed up with Jamad Fiin, a young muslim woman, and up-and-coming basketball star who has been told her entire life that basketball, her true passion, doesn’t fit in to her culture and is forbidden. These images portray a young muslim woman hard at work who catches a glimpse in a mirror which reveals who she truly is and wants to be.
Gary Land
The Kobe Tribute Editorial beautifully captures the influence that Kobe Bryant has had on so many individuals inside and outside of the basketball community. This is not only true for Jamad, the aspiring female hooper, but also for Gary Land himself, who filled the shoot with several hidden Kobe references.
