Giant Get-Together: AK, Memo, and some other people

Remember back in March when FIBA released its first set of “Giant Get-Together” promotional images for the World Championship? Memo and AK weren’t among those in that set, and I couldn’t wait to see theirs.

Memo and AK didn’t end up playing in the tournament due to injuries (not “unknown reasons” or “temperamental diva-ness” as reported by certain sportswriters that failed to check their facts–yeah I’m looking at you Sheridan and Wojnarowski). Due to the lack of Jazz representation, I didn’t watch a single second of the tournament. Today, it struck me that I’d never seen Memo and AK’s ads, and I went a-searchin’ to see if they were ever released.

Turns out, they were:

Memo’s is so darn cute. Much better than this, at any rate. I don’t think they did a particularly good job with Andrei’s…not to mention he’s wearing his -untied- Jazz shoes with his red Russia uniform. Couldn’t they have at the very least photoshopped the blue parts of his shoes red?

While I’m here, I have to say that some of the others posted on FIBA’s website are questionable as promotional images.

Take this, for example:

On the left, you have Kobe looking extremely developmentally challenged, while Pau over there is centimeters away from destroying our eyes with a wholly unsavory crotch shot that I can’t imagine anyone in this world wants a part of.

On the right, we have Pau using a beautiful Turkish monument as his own personal toilet. Not cool, Gasol.

And then, we have the straddlers.

The players posed for the pictures in front of a green screen or white backdrop and then were photoshopped in with the landmarks (as you can see from these two images of Hedo). In other words, Carlos Arroyo and Jo-elle Anthony had to stand around posing with one leg in the air like dogs in the midst of relieving themselves.

That couldn’t have been very comfortable. Nor can it be comfortable for Jo-elle the way that man in the right corner is scrutinizing his goods. (Look at Jo-elle’s face. You can totally hear him thinking, “Don’t make eye contact…don’t make eye contact…”)