25 striking sports photos from Getty Images this week

The sports world makes for a beautiful palette but individual images can get lost in the constant shuffle. Here are the best Getty Images sports photos from this week.

Simone Biles warms up on the Vault prior to the Senior Women’s competition of the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on June 4, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Simone Biles had just made history at the event just prior to this competition by landing a Yurchenko double pike vault. As one of the marquis athletes set to compete at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, I knew I wanted to find a unique angle to show her competing on the apparatus. While it’s nearly impossible to show what makes a Yurchenko double pike vault a Yurchenko double pike vault in still pictures, I attempted to show the crazy amount of height Biles gets by shooting with a wide-angle lens just to the side of the podium. The level of difficulty she achieves really does set her apart from the competition. Biles is so much fun to watch and photograph as she continues to make history and break records.

— Jamie Squire

CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers dunks in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets during Game 6 of the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on June 3, 2021, in Portland, Oregon.

It was a win-or-go-home situation for the Portland Trail Blazers during game six of the first round of the NBA playoffs. In fact, the Trail Blazers were already at home, with an increased attendance capacity of 10,000 people. This made photographing from my four photo positions — the corner stairwells, a Covid-19 restriction — a challenge with more fans milling about and possibly obstructing photographers’ coverage. At this moment, CJ McCollum threw down an intense dunk to electrify the Moda Center, home crowd. Thankfully, I was not blocked, and he held the dunk for a moment with interesting body language.

— Steph Chambers

Lexi Thompson of the United States hits from the bunker on the 18th hole during the final round of the 76th U.S. Women’s Open Championship at The Olympic Club on June 6, 2021, in San Francisco, California.

I had been following Lexi Thompson the whole afternoon during the U.S. Women’s Open final round. She appeared to be struggling around the 13th hole and made a slow decline every hole after that. This photo showcases the bunker on the 18th hole where a large gallery had formed. It was definitely evident that the pressure was getting to her and I could sense the intensity for this stroke. Ultimately, Thompson lost the lead to the tournament after coming out of the bunker and putting poorly. She went on to finish in third after having a sizable lead. It was a tough collapse to watch.

— Sean M. Haffey

Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders scores against the Boston Bruins at 5:20 of the second period in Game 6 of the second round of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Nassau Coliseum on June 9, 2021, in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The long-running theme at the Nassau Coliseum has been if this will be the last game played in ‘the old barn’? With the New York Islanders set to open up the new UBS Arena in November, the Coliseum is getting closer to its expiration date with every game. When Brock Nelson of the Islanders scored his first of two second-period goals, he provided me with more than 30 frames of scoring, celebrating and then bringing it to the logical conclusion….getting the rabid fans involved. This photo was by far the best frame because it ties in the feeling and electricity in the arena. Without seeing Nelson’s face, this image becomes more of a generic shot that celebrates the Islanders’ historic victory in this arena and is a throwback to the early days of smaller, more intimate settings where the fans are very close to the action. And I’m afraid, there won’t be many games left in this venue to savor.

— Bruce Bennett

Josh Harrison of the Washington Nationals attempts to make a play on a ground single hit by Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park on May 31, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since this was a mid-afternoon game, I chose to stay up high for a few innings to play with light pockets as we never get those at Truist Park in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the clouds covered up the sun just before the first pitch, but I wanted to wait it out just in case the clouds opened up again. The next thing I know, a slow dribbler is hit to second base by Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, and I caught Josh Harrison of the Washington Nationals chasing the ball and diving to attempt to make a play. I truly lucked out with a nice play even though it was different than what I was hoping for.

— Kevin C. Cox

Eliisa Brown of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs to second as infielder utility Elizabeth Mason of the Florida St. Seminoles defends during the fifth inning of Game 14 of the Women’s College World Series on June 7, 2021, at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Florida St. won 8-5. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Jean Segura of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with Ronald Torreyes after hitting a walk-off two-RBI single in the bottom of the tenth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on June 10, 2021, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Braves 4-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres celebrates with Fernando Tatis Jr. after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Petco Park on June 4, 2021, in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Dan Winkler of the Chicago Cubs pitches during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Saturday, June 5, 2021, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates a second-period goal during Game Four of the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at Amalie Arena on June 5, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and Alec Martinez of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate Pacioretty’s third-period empty-net goal against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 of the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 10, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche 6-3 to win the series. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Mike Scott of the Philadelphia 76ers and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards reach for the ball during the third quarter during Game Four of the Eastern Conference first-round series at Capital One Arena on May 31, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers drives on Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter during game six of the Western Conference first-round series at Staples Center on June 3, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against Nicolas Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second-round playoff series at the Fiserv Forum on June 10, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Floyd Mayweather exchanges blows with Logan Paul during their contracted exhibition boxing match at Hard Rock Stadium on June 6, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Claressa Shields of the United States punches Brittney Elkin of the United States during the third round of their lightweight bout in Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort on June 10, 2021, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Zoe Miller warms up on the beam prior to the Senior Women’s competition of the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on June 4, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Pauline Schaefer of Germany competes on Uneven Bars during the Women’s All-Around Final of the Artistic Gymnastics ‘Die Finals 2021’ on June 3, 2021, in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Coco Gauff of The United States returns a forehand during her Ladies Singles Quarter-Final match against Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic on Day Eleven of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on June 9, 2021, in Paris, France. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia dives in an attempt to return in their men’s singles fourth-round match against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy during day nine of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on June 7, 2021, in Paris, France. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Serena Williams of the USA reacts during her Women’s Singles fourth round match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on day eight of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on June 6, 2021, in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Yuka Saso of the Philippines celebrates with the Harton S. Semple Trophy after winning the 76th U.S. Women’s Open Championship at The Olympic Club on June 6, 2021, in San Francisco, California. Saso won following a three-hole playoff against Nasa Hataoka of Japan. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 4, 2021, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Neymar Jr. of Brazil kisses the ball before taking a penalty kick to score the second goal of his team during a match between Brazil and Ecuador as part of South American Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 at Beira-Rio Stadium on June 4, 2021, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Wout Weghorst of Holland celebrates 2-0 during the International Friendly match between Holland v Georgia at the De Grolsch Veste on June 6, 2021 (Photo by Laurens Lindhout/Soccrates/Getty Images)