A chance Warriors encounter launched photographer’s career

Jimenez’s first viral shot got here on Nov. 12, when the Warriors confronted the Chicago Bulls. He caught Steph Curry proper as Curry was trying away from the basket, moments earlier than his 3-pointer swished, whereas an area of teammates, defenders and followers stared in frozen anticipation. 

Since topped the “coldest photograph of the yr,” Jimenez’s image additional solidifies Curry’s mythic stature — a shooter who’s unafraid to look away, even when the remainder of us watch in amazement.

“I’ve practiced taking tons of of pictures of gamers throughout basketball practices,” Jimenez says. “I’ve practiced that photograph, identical to Curry practices his pictures within the health club. I simply bought actually fortunate with Steph turning away on the actual second he did. It was a mixture of laborious work and luck for me, identical to basketball.”

Jimenez additionally documented the brutal Juan Toscano-Anderson throwdown on JaVale McGee’s mug in a current recreation towards the Phoenix Suns — a posterization that has since been changed into a bootleg T-shirt and is obtainable as an official print with a portion of the proceeds going to the JTA Basis.

So how’d Jimenez, a San Bruno product who as soon as attended youth league video games in his neighborhood to apply taking basketball images, make it to the Chase Middle? 

A pickup recreation with Jordan Poole, it seems. 

In 2019, Jimenez was invited to {photograph} a high-profile basketball invitational in Burlingame by his buddy Packie Turner, who occurs to be a revered sports activities coach within the area. The sport featured promising skills, together with Toscano-Anderson and Poole. That’s when Jimenez and Poole, who’re solely a yr aside in age, made an natural connection speaking about video video games, music and meals.

Jimenez was already a burgeoning photographer within the native scene, a contract position he first took on when he was simply 17; he’s additionally labored with Steph Curry for Slam Journal and Below Armour (“the spotlight out of every thing” he’s carried out to this point, he says). However his natural, real reference to Poole is what launched him to even larger heights.

After the pickup hoops occasion, Jimenez stored in contact with Poole and secured a couple of Warriors photograph shoots through the offseason. He later discovered gigs with different outstanding Bay Space figures, together with the rapper P-Lo. Now, through the 2021-22 season, Jimenez has been capable of show his vary of skills for the total Warriors fan base, too. 

“Jordan [Poole] will get me into video games and I work with him carefully, on and off the courtroom,” Jimenez says. “I ship my images to everybody on the workforce, however I’m actually taking good care of Jordan and dealing with media visuals for him. When he wants me, I’m there.”

Jimenez and Poole are having breakout performances at simply the precise time, because the Dubs are nonetheless making an attempt to construct some hype after the controversial relocation to Chase Middle. In contrast to the famed “Roaracle” in Oakland, Chase isn’t a longtime draw, and it doesn’t have the identical related magnetism with the collective fan base. 

Merely put, Chase hasn’t had the possibility to supply any magical reminiscences. There’s no Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin lineup iconically lounging collectively on the sideline. There’s no Baron Davis yamming over Andrei Kirilenko through the “We Consider” playoff run. There’s not even a picture of Curry, Draymond Inexperienced and Klay Thompson on the courtroom collectively in San Francisco but. 

However for the primary time in San Francisco’s reborn basketball historical past, the Dubs are a championship-caliber squad and they’ve followers within the stands once more. Jimenez is conscious about the stakes and his distinctive place with the workforce to seize every thing on the courtroom.

“Clearly, Chase isn’t the identical as Oracle, however being right here for each recreation this season, I can already see that the ambiance is getting its personal persona,” Jimenez says. “[Poole] and I are about the identical age, so for each of us to be having an excellent season right here collectively after years of constructing a friendship is tremendous thrilling. It doesn’t damage that we’re successful once more.”

Jimenez, like Poole and the Golden State gamers, takes his routine significantly. He sometimes arrives a couple of hours earlier than tip-off, and he spends all of that pre-game time taking images along with his Sony A7R III. In the course of the recreation, he has decrease stage seats, the place he says he stays locked into the motion on the ground. When he will get house, he’ll typically keep up till 3 a.m. choosing the right images to ship to Poole and others. 

The younger photographer remains to be adjusting to having his work so extensively appreciated, particularly on-line. His Instagram account has skyrocketed to greater than 35,000 followers. Solely minutes after posting the aforementioned Curry photograph, Jimenez says he acquired tons of of DMs from coveted publications, buddies and even members of the family within the Philippines. That’s when Jimenez knew he may need hit his mark on the planet of NBA images.

Like knowledgeable basketball participant, although, he nonetheless has off nights. “I discuss my L’s as a result of all of us have them. It’s not at all times nearly successful,” he says.

In November, Jimenez opted for a clear strategy to his work and posted about being disenchanted at an out-of-focus shot he took of an explosive alley-oop slam between Curry and fan-favorite newcomer Gary Payton II. Jimenez in contrast it to a well-known LeBron James and Dwyane Wade alley-oop photograph during which D-Wade is gliding away from the basket along with his arms unfold open after a easy move to James, who’s hovering behind him for the last word end.

Jimenez tells me he initially “misplaced sleep” over the missed alternative. However just like the Warriors this season, he rebounded with a good stronger efficiency: the following recreation is when he snagged the Curry look-away shot, which for a lot of could be a career-defining second. Jimenez hopes it’s only the start.

“I understand how a lot work I put into this craft,” Jimenez says. “Numerous and sleepless nights … there’s at all times a bit of little bit of luck to get to be in the identical room as these individuals and introduce myself, however I do know I’ve labored for this chance, and I need to share it with everybody.”