NBA Signatures: Iconic Player Gestures

In October 2022, Vincent Reculeau and Adrien Pommepuy published « NBA All-Star Names » published by Amphora. These two enthusiasts, who got to know each other via the Basket Rétro site, the first by writing the papers, the second by illustrating them, quickly hit it off and their joint work led to this first publication focused on the best-known nicknames in the world of the NBA.

Then, very quickly, “from January 2023, carried by the wave, by the excitement” good feedback about their work, “I wrote the first texts and submitted ideas to Adrien”explains Vincent Reculeau, joined by Basketball USA. This second book, “it’s a continuation of All-Stars Names”continues the author.

“The common denominator is the signature”

“My starting point was actions and matches with a nickname. This was the first layer. It was a basis, without being sufficient. We then took the concept of signatures. It’s the second stage of the rocket: I’m thinking of Tony Parker’s teardrop, of Manu Ginobili’s eurostep. This allows for new entries for the book. We took the celebrations, the free throw techniques, we also added references with numbers. I organized everything by team and, as certain franchises lacked material, I added the mascots. »

“The common denominator is the signature”summarizes Vincent Reculeau in the face of « 175-180 entrées » of this beautiful 1.5 kilo baby. From then on, it is a question of illustrating these gestures, these moments. It is the work of Adrien Pommepuy, who recognizes, also contacted by Basketball USAwhich “Vincent often goes faster than me in writing texts”. Which poses no problem for him since he “prefers to start an illustration if the text is done”.

“It happens that the text is retouched based on my graphic reference, what I have highlighted », he says, which is confirmed by his colleague. “The text is written first. Adrien draws the drawing and talks to me about a detail. Then, secondly, I make a correction to the text. It’s always a back and forth. »

As a big NBA fan, since 1999, he explains, Adrien Pommepuy has tried to find a “compromise between efficiency and fantasy”. You had to keep images that everyone knew, but also have fun and let your imagination speak. “I didn’t want to take the image of Chamberlain’s 100 points but, at the same time, make it a reference”he indicates, having simply left the sheet of paper with the “100” on it, without copying the very famous photo associated with the record points scored by a player in the NBA. The illustrator’s desire is to “respect the reality of the movement. I try to add my touch, so that we can feel the player in action.”

“What could be more iconic than a mascot to bring excitement to a basketball hall”

One of the originalities of « NBA Signatures »this is the place offered to the mascots of the different franchises. “What could be more iconic than a mascot to bring excitement to a basketball hall”asks Vinceau Reculeau. “I had a blast. This is one of the longest texts. I found two people who wore costumes. The creator of Hugo of the Hornets and Sam Dunk of the Clippers, a short-lived mascot of the 1980s.” Pleasure shared by Adrien Pommepuy : “I had fun with the mascots. I had freedom in image processing. For some, we only have one or two photos, so we had to imagine. »

However, the “favorite” by Vincent Reculeau during the writing of this work, which required two years of work, it was “find, via Facebook, a teammate of Bill Russell at the University of San Francisco, who died in January. A man full of energy, with clear ideas with whom I solved the mystery of Bill Russell’s number 6″. Thus, we know more about this number, now retired throughout the league, since the death of the former Celtics pivot. “My goal is for NBA experts to learn things. This is my reward »slips the author.

After « NBA All-Star Names » et « NBA Signatures », Is a third work already in the pipeline? “It sounds pompous to say that but many works are in the form of a trilogy”answers Vincent Reculeau. “We would like to come full circle with a third opus. We have ideas, we’re starting to work on them. There is material. We haven’t finished telling what we want to tell. We want to continue the adventure. »

Fin 2022, « NBA All-Star Names » was one of our gift ideas for Christmas and, three years later « NBA Signatures », prefaced by Jacques Monclar, can easily be found under the Christmas tree of NBA fans in ten days, whether they are curious to learn and/or more sensitive to the beautiful aesthetics of the illustrations.