The Athlete as Hero

With a storied career, Scottie Pippen was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. Philadelphia-based artist Roberto Lugo wanted to honor Pippen’s legacy. In 2021, he created Scottie Pippen, above, which features a portrait of the player on a classical vessel.

In ancient times—across many cultures—people used baked-clay containers for decorative, religious, and practical purposes. Those designed for the wealthy were elaborate and often featured images of important people or mythological gods. By placing Pippen’s image on a traditional vessel, Lugo elevates the basketball player to the level of royalty.

Scottie Pippen is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. Roberto Lugo, an artist in Philadelphia, wanted to honor Pippen. In 2021, he created Scottie Pippen, above. It features a portrait of the player on a classical vessel.

Historically, these clay containers were used for cooking, ceremonies, or decoration. They were often painted with images of important people or gods. Lugo places Pippen’s image on one of these vessels. It suggests that the basketball player is a kind of royalty.

Simone Biles has won more World and Olympic medals than any other gymnast. She has been honored for her athletic accomplishments as well as for her activism in promoting mental health awareness and advocating for foster youth.

In the 2017 painting Born Athlete American: Simone Biles I, above, artist Jeanette Mundt captures Biles in the midst of a vault routine at her first Olympics. In real life, the gymnast’s flips happen so fast that they seem automatic, fluid, and effortless. But here, Mundt captures the complexity of what Biles does by slowing her movements into a series of fractured vertical snapshots. Mundt visually suggests that Biles defies gravity to achieve a superhuman feat.

Simone Biles has won more World and Olympic medals than any other gymnast. She is also respected for helping struggling youth.

The painting above is called Simone Biles I. Artist Jeanette Mundt made it. The artist captures Biles performing a vault routine at her first Olympics. In real life, the gymnast’s flips take only a few seconds. Mundt shows that what Biles does is actually very difficult. The artist uses fractured snapshots to slow down Biles’s movements. It makes Biles look like a superhero flying through the air!

“I wanted to . . . get away from the televisual notions of disease, war, [and] famine that we are sort of constantly bombarded with in regards to looking at Africa,” says Kehinde Wiley of his 2010 Unity, above. For this group portrait of three soccer superstars—John Mensah of Ghana, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, and Emmanual Eboué of Côte d’Ivoire—Wiley arranged the players with intention.

Wiley wanted to emphasize the strength and unity of the African countries—as well as the strength and unity required of team players to win a soccer match. So he paints the athletes with their muscular arms visible and linked, forming triangles, the strongest shape. They are more powerful, and more likely to win, when they work together.

Images of Africa in the media often focus on war or poverty. Artist Kehinde Wiley wanted to show that there’s more to the continent. So he made his 2010 work Legends of Unity, above. It shows three soccer players: John Mensah of Ghana, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, and Emmanual Eboué of Côte d’Ivoire.

Wiley arranged the players carefully for this group portrait. Their arms are linked into triangles— the strongest shape. This shows the strength and unity players need to win a soccer match. It also reflects the strength and unity of the African continent.

Can you identify the NBA player in the 2021 work above? Titled No. 8, it is one of six works Hank Willis Thomas created to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NBA. Each honors a specific NBA legend and reimagines the NBA logo—a silhouette of a basketball player.

When a superstar athlete retires, their jersey number is often retired—meaning no other player can use it. Thomas uses a quilting process, sewing together patches from each subject’s jersey as well as from other star players’ jerseys.

The work’s title, the shape of the figure, and the surrounding jersey numbers would immediately cause any true NBA fan to know exactly who this silhouette represents. (It’s Kobe Bryant!) Thus, the work also acts as a commentary on how powerfully sports, and in particular the NBA, can catapult a great player to hero status.

What do you think? Are these athletes heroes? How would you honor your hero in an artwork? Click here to experiment with these ideas in your own work.

Do you recognize the basketball player in the 2021 work above? It’s called No. 8. The artist Hank Willis Thomas made six of these works. Each one honors a legendary player. They’re based on the NBA logo, which is a silhouette of a basketball player. When a famous athlete retires, their jersey number is often retired too. That means no other player can use it.

Thomas uses a quilting process to sew patches of jerseys together. Which player does this work honor? The title and the jersey numbers are clues. It’s Kobe Bryant! Thomas’s work is a comment on how sports can make a great player into a hero.

Do you think athletes are heroes? How would you honor your hero in an artwork? Click here to try it out for yourself!