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The Players’ Tribune proudly provides a platform for athletes to tell their own stories in their own words. In the process these athletes also open themselves and their lives to TPT’s award-winning community of photographers, resulting in some of the most striking, revealing and inspiring images from the world of sports. Presented here are 20 of our favorite photos from 2023, capturing celebrated champions in behind-the-scenes moments, as well as young stars just stepping into the spotlight radiating hope, confidence — and an exhilarating sense of fashion.
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Photos of 2023
By The Players' Tribune
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BASKETBALL
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Knuckleheads With Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles
Letter to My Younger Self
Mental Health
Photography
Iga Świątek, world No. 1 ranked women's tennis player, poses for a portrait following a training session in Dubai, UAE. In her Signature Story The Story of a Polish Introvert, she writes, “My story isn’t like a lot of other athletes, and that’s O.K. Even on the court, I wasn’t that kind of kid who instantly fell in love with the racket. When I hear stories like that from other athletes, I think, Can a kid really feel it??"
PHOTO BY SAM ROBLES/The Players' Tribune
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The Only Way Is Through
By Anthony Joshua
Scoot Henderson, who would go on to be the #3 pick in the NBA draft, records a social video at the NBATV studios in Atlanta, GA. In his Signature Story, Scoot set his intentions “All of my idols have a killer mentality. Kobe, Westbrook, Curry…. I want to go beyond what it takes to be in the league. I’m not just looking for a roster spot — I’m searching for greatness.”
PHOTO BY SAM MALLER/The Players' Tribune
Amen and Ausar Thompson have their jerseys retired by Overtime Elite in Atlanta, GA. The twins helped put OTE's league on the map after forgoing college to turn pro, and would go on to become the first siblings to be drafted in the top 10 in NBA history.
PHOTO BY JACKSON KRULE/The Players' Tribune
In a New York state of mind, Hayley Jones, former Stanford women’s basketball standout and host of TPT’s Sometimes I Hoop podcast, walks down Canal Street, wearing Sergio Hudson, ahead of the WNBA draft. Jones documented her draft day with her own camcorder before being picked sixth by the Atlanta Dream.
PHOTO BY Alyssa Greenberg for The Players' Tribune
Kerolin Nicoli, Brazilian soccer star and NWSL MVP, poses for a portrait near her home in North Carolina. In the lead-up to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the game-changing Courage forward wrote an essay honoring her mother: “More than just a winner, I want you to be proud of the brave woman I’ve become — something that was only possible because you, a warrior mom, were there, being a mother, a friend, my biggest fan and the biggest culprit that brought me here.”
PHOTO BY SAM ROBLES/The Players' Tribune
Top of the world: Samuel Umtiti, center-back for LOSC Lille, poses for a portrait on the roof of The Players’ Tribune offices in New York City while dressed head-to-talented toe in Louis Vuitton.
PHOTO BY SAM MALLER/The Players' Tribune
Jalen Hood-Schifino, fresh off his Big Ten Freshman of the Year season at Indiana, poses for a portrait during a visit to The Players’ Tribune NBA draft suite. The long-time Kobe fan would soon be taken 17th by the Lakers and go on to be part of the winning team in the NBA’s inaugural
In-Season Tournament.
PHOTO BY Sam Maller/The Players' Tribune
READ THE FULL STORY: The Story of a polish introvert by Iga Świątek
VIEW THE FULL STORY: SHOWTIME by SCOOT HENDERSON
VIEW THE FULL GALLERY: Behind the scenes with overtime elite
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO: Haley Jones Films Her WNBA Draft Day Experience
VIEW THE FULL GALLERY: Behind the scenes with HALEY JONES
READ tHE FULL STORY: Letter to a Warrior Mom BY KEROLIN
Nikola Jokić hoists the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy following the Nuggets’ title-clinching Game 5 victory over the Heat. In his essay about growing up in Serbia, the beloved two-time regular-season MVP wrote, “I always loved basketball, but when I was little — even when I was 13 and 14 — I was going to horse race. I didn’t even practice basketball that much…. When I started playing, I was really fat, and I wasn’t that tall yet. I played center, but I also played point guard. I dribbled the ball all over the court. I just play for fun, you know?”
PHOTO BY Katie Klann/The Players' Tribune
Not in Kansas anymore: Gradey Dick, former standout Jayhawks guard, poses for a portrait on the red carpet of the 2023 NBA draft in Brooklyn. In an homage to his home-state heroine Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Dick chose to wear a ruby-red sequined blazer from Dolce & Gabbana. He was drafted 13th by the Toronto Raptors that night.
PHOTO BY Jackson Krule/The Players' Tribune
Jayson Tatum, Lolo Jones, Marcus Williams and Flau’jae Johnson pose for portraits during Players’ Night Out in Hollywood. Flau’jae, who had recently won a women’s basketball national championship with the LSU Tigers, is also a flourishing rapper, and performed a set of her music during the party before Jadakiss took the stage.
PHOTOS BY Sam ROBLES/The Players' Tribune
Members of Cuba’s Bayamo Little League watch and await the first pitch against Japan in their LLWS game on August 16, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
VIEW THE FULL GALLERY: BEHIND THE SCENES: LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES
PHOTO BY JACKSON KRULE/The Players' Tribune
Peanut Tuitele, former Cal hoops star, rides her longboard down the street in Berkeley, California. Tuitele reflected on surviving sexual abuse in her essay The Monster Will Never Win: “Basketball has been my safe haven…. For as long as I can remember, it was something that brought pure joy to a little girl who just wanted more than anything to be a kid again. A little girl who was broken.”
READ tHE FULL STORY: The Monster Will Never Win BY PEANUT TUITELE
PHOTO BY Deanne Fitzmaurice FOR The Players' Tribune
Anthony Bowens adjusts his knee braces as he prepares to enter the ring for a match during AEW Dynamite in Nashville. Bowens wrote a letter to AEW fans thanking them for celebrating his talent and his sexuality, saying, ”As long as I was closeted as a wrestler, I wasn’t going to reach my full potential. Because I wasn’t going to be able to tap into everything that makes me me."
READ tHE FULL STORY: Dear AEW Fans by Anthony Bowens
PHOTO BY Taylor Baucom/The Players' Tribune
Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks guard, is surrounded by cheerleaders while walking off the field following a ceremony to retire his high school jersey in College Park, Texas.
VIEW THE FULL VIDEO: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH Quentin Grimes
PHOTO BY Katie Klann/The Players' Tribune
Logan Sargeant, F1 driver for Williams Racing, poses for a portrait in the bathtub of his suite at the Moxy Hotel in New York City. The Florida-born Seargent reflected on racing on U.S. soil, writing, “Two years ago, some people were writing me off. Today, I’m the first American driver to score a Formula 1 point in 30 years…. I get chills thinking about it, how easily it all could have been over.”
READ tHE FULL STORY: Homecoming by Logan Sargeant
PHOTO BY Jackson Krule/The Players' Tribune
Alysha Clark, WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces, poses for a portrait in her backyard in Nashville. In her essay recalling grieving her father while celebrating a championship, Clark wrote, “On the plane ride home, after the partying and the screaming and the goosebumps died down, I took a moment by myself to just reflect on everything. To be where my feet were…. I miss our postgame phone
calls.”
READ tHE FULL STORY: Pops, I Know You’re Up There Absolutely Loving This by ALYSHA CLARK
PHOTO BY Taylor Baucom/The Players' Tribune
Cal Ripken Jr. and Derek Jeter, both Hall of Fame shortstops, share a moment in the dugout of Jeter Field in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation partnered with Ripken to renovate the high school fields that Jeter and his family grew up playing on, and, on November 14, they were unveiled to the students and the Kalamazoo community in a joyous celebration.
PHOTO BY Taylor Baucom/The Players' Tribune
VIEW THE FULL GALLERY: PLAYERS' NIGHT OUT 2023
