Meet the man behind LeBron James ‘Zero Dark Thirty-23’

LeBron James turned the lights out on social media in order to focus on the playoffs, but not before using artist Elliot Gerrard’s portrait as a final message.

On April 14th, like clockwork, LeBron James sent out his annual ‘Zero Dark Thirty-23′ post to let the world know he will be going silent on social media for the remainder of the NBA Playoffs.

This year was particularly special for Elliot Gerard and John Boyce. That’s because these two were the creative geniuses behind the artwork James used to send fans off. The now infamous LeBron/Lion portrait was originally created for FanSided’s “HP Quarterly” magazine cover in spring 2016.

How or why James came across it Gerard still isn’t sure but he’s thrilled he did.

Gerard is a creative director for Sportsrocket, a leader in the sports streaming industry. In addition, he has been a featured illustrator and designer for a number of media outlets including: ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated, Disney, Marvel, 2K Games, The Madison Square Garden Company and Major League Gaming.

His work has also been featured in articles for FanSided, FoxSports.com, ESPN, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Bleacher Report and NESN.com.

Since James has such a big following and so many people saw the post, Gerard is hopeful this will lead to new opportunities to share his craft.

Gerard did reveal that he’s rooting for King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs and it’s hard to blame him. The Cavaliers are primed for another run to the NBA Finals and Gerrard’s artwork serving as a piece of social media history is an organic investment to be proud of. He may not be on the court with the Cavaliers to help them win, but his artwork will forever be intertwined with however this season ends up. 

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For more information on Elliot Gerard and his work visit: ZeroArtThirty.com as well as @elliotgerard  @graphatik.