The New Yorker Cover - May 10, 2021

The illustration depicts a basketball game between New York City's two NBA teams: the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks. Dominating the frame are the giant figures of the Nets' "Big Three"—Kevin Durant (7), Kyrie Irving (11), and James Harden (13). Far below them, rendered in a much smaller scale, are players from the New York Knicks, including their star forward at the time, Julius Randle (30). The dynamic composition captures the energy of the sport while highlighting the perceived power imbalance between the two city rivals.

Artistic Insight

Created by artist Mark Ulriksen, this cover is a powerful visual metaphor for the state of New York basketball during the 2020-2021 NBA season. The deliberate and dramatic difference in scale between the players is not a literal representation but a commentary on the narrative surrounding the teams. The Nets, having assembled a trio of superstars, were seen as the dominant force with championship aspirations, hence their depiction as giants. The Knicks, meanwhile, were having a surprisingly successful season and are portrayed as the smaller, scrappy underdogs. Ulriksen's expressive, painterly style eschews photorealism to better convey the story and the intense rivalry for basketball supremacy in the city.

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