Terry Lyons has a true passion for photography. Of course, Terry is not a photographer by trade although he proudly earned the title of Hoop Magazine photo editor early in his NBA career.
Lyons is a photographer’s best friend. He understands the art, and truly appreciates the discipline. He has an eye for the perfect shot. He adores photography shot in perfect sunlight, the photo created late on a winter Sunday afternoon. Lyons learned the art of photography side by side with some of the very best in the sports photography business.
When he worked at the NBA, Lyons would always find time to meet with the photo corps. The daily beat photographers, the wire service crews, and the dozens of talented magazine photographers, like Walter Iooss, Jr., John McDonough and Manny Milan.
He would listen, ask the right questions, and then listen some more. He would often solve the problems and it earned him the most valuable commodity in the world of sports photography – TRUST.
In 1986, Lyons organized and created NBA Photos. The entity eventually became the high-tech, digital photography arm of NBA Entertainment, but it started with a few rolls of Kodachrome and Fuji color slides, alongside 5x7 black & white prints.
One photographer at the 1983 Finals shooting 25-30 rolls of film has fast become 15 photographers shooting some 10,000 digital images per game in 2007 and beyond.
That 1983 photographer was Andrew D. Bernstein:
“Terry and I have worked together at the NBA for more than 25 years,” said Bernstein. “In the early 1980's, we worked closely on photography projects for the league and it's licensees. Terry's vision, insight and initiative were directly responsible for the creation of NBA Photos, which became a league venture in 1986 and since has become the leader in sports stock and assignment photography and a huge part of NBA Entertainment. I am grateful for my personal and professional relationship with Terry for a quarter of a century, and look forward to many years of collaboration in the future.”
