Because this years NBA Finals doesn’t include my Lakers, here’s a project I did for Panini America that celebrates my team’s 16th Championship. This limited print (124) of Kobe Bryant beating Celtics for his fifth ring proves he does pass the ball. The Mamba actually averaged 4 assists (along with 28 points) in the 2010 championship series. The Lake Show took down the C’s in seven games, having to win the last two. Ah, the memories.
This autographed Kobe Bryant photograph includes a Panini Authentic certificate of authenticity with a unique hologram, which protect the integrity of the product and serve to guarantee the authenticity) goes for $649.99 at Panini Authentic.
Above shows a quick view of how the piece was created. Click to the image to enlarge.
- Original photo (NBA, Getty Images)
- Kobe – Clipped out and color corrected.
- Background – Colorized, blurred and faded out to the edges. I also brought in Lamar Odom a bit closer.
- Defenders – Clipped and color corrected. I blurred them less than the background to show more depth.
- Kobe – Brought back in and cleaned around the background and defenders (from the blurring).
- Final Piece – Merged all the layers together.
