For Jon SooHoo, a name revered in baseball photography, capturing greatness comes naturally. Having worked with the Los Angeles Dodgers for over four decades, his portfolio is rich with iconic moments. Yet, when asked about the most unforgettable photo of his career, his mind instantly drifts away from baseball to a brief 10-minute shoot with a young Kobe Bryant.
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It was a session that still gives SooHoo butterflies to this day, as he admitted on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast.
The photoshoot took place just before Bryant’s second year in the league, in 1997. Without hesitation, SooHoo described the legendary shot: Kobe lying on the hardwood floor, a basketball propped beneath his head like a pillow, eyes gazing upwards in quiet reflection.
The story behind that photo adds to its magic.
The idea was pitched by SooHoo’s photo editor at the time, and while the setup was simple, the image that emerged became deeply symbolic. Kobe, still a teenager, was already a star in the making. That timeless snapshot now feels like a window into the greatness that was about to unfold.
SooHoo said, “That for me is my most iconic image in my library, per se, that’s not Dodgers related.”
He added a personal layer to the memory as well. His nephew, a massive Kobe fan, joined him that day and had the chance to hang out with Bryant during the shoot. For SooHoo, that family connection made the experience even more special.
Remembering NBA legend KOBE BRYANT on what would’ve been his 45th birthday.
: #KobeBryant #8 of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a portrait circa 1998 in Los Angeles, Jon SooHoo/NBAE/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/pamWac3LEv
— Mr. Frost (@Edmond_Frost) August 23, 2023
The photo didn’t just live in SooHoo’s archive, it became part of basketball and popular culture. It has graced magazine covers and posters, been shared across continents, and inspired an entire generation of young players.
Most notably, NBA superstar Jayson Tatum famously recreated the same image, using a collage of his version and Kobe’s as his Instagram profile picture.
Kobe is admired by athletes from different disciplines all over the world. The podcast’s co-host added that a lot of young athletes in high school and college have recreated that picture over the years. In hindsight, capturing a photo of such quiet intensity before Kobe even reached his peak feels almost prophetic.
SooHoo knows that something he captured has made such a massive impact on the world. However, he is also aware that most people don’t even know who the magician was behind the lens for the photoshoot.
