Joe Towne with Andrew Bernstein on Finding Magic in the Frames
Joe chats with Hall of Fame NBA Photographer, legendary sports podcaster, author, media producer and teacher Andrew Bernstein.
They explore some of the most storied locker rooms (eleven times with Phil Jackson) team huddles (Pat Riley’s Showtime Lakers) and championship moments (MJ, Kobe, Dodgers and Kings) and how learning from greatness has impacted his own journey from lows to highs.
Together they talk about protecting the light within, being mindful of who you put in charge of your own self-image and how our relationships may open doors to our future.
Ultimately they speak about the essence of the Mamba Mentality, the secret ingredient to cultivating an edge and why life sometimes asks us to pivot to something greater than we’d imagined.
Who is Andrew?
Like many of the professional athletes he photographs, Andrew D. Bernstein is recognized as an all-star in sports photography. The unique personal rapport Bernstein has developed with athletes, coaches and teams over the years allows him exclusive access to special behind-the-scenes moments. A co-founder of NBA Photos, Bernstein is the key photographic contributor to NBA Entertainment’s global media platforms, which include NBA.com, all league publications and NBA licensed products. He has been the team photographer for twelve professional home teams which won championships in basketball (Lakers in 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020), baseball (Dodgers in 1988) and hockey (Kings in 2012 and 2014). Bernstein has covered 40 NBA Finals and 38 All-Star Games as the senior NBA photographer.
In 2018, Bernstein collaborated with five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant on the worldwide bestselling book “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” a unique look at Bryant’s 20 year career through Bernstein’s lens. Previous books include “NBA Hoop Shots: Classic Moments From a Super Era” published in 1996 and “Journey To The Ring” co-authored with Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson in 2010.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named Bernstein a 2018 Curt Gowdy award recipient, acknowledging his contributions to basketball media. This prestigious award is presented annually to members of the electronic and print media whose longtime efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball. Bernstein is the second photographer to receive this honor.
Bernstein is a co-founder of a new sports content platform called “Legends Of Sport”. His weekly podcast is distributed to all major platforms, with over 150 episodes released to date. Legends Of Sport can be followed on: Twitter @legends_ofsport, Instagram @legendsofsport, website www.legendsofsport.net, YouTube and TikTok at Legends Of Sport. Bernstein’s photography can be found at www.adbapi.com and Instagram @adbphotoinc.
Show Notes:
Iconic Photographs from Andrew
https://www.nba.com/news/andrew-bernstein-legendary-nba-photos
Bruce Springsteen-No Surrender
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxVu41Vsthg
Mamba Mentality
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40230101-the-mamba-mentality
Eleven Rings
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16158522-eleven-rings
Tim Grover
https://timgrover.com/books/
Art Center
http://www.artcenter.edu/
