24 iconic 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 most iconic sports photos from Getty Images this week.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks tip-off during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Wells Fargo Center on June 16, 2021, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This picture was taken right at tip-off during Game 5 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks series. I noticed in game two that the sun would start spilling in a few minutes before player and coach introductions. There wasn’t enough sun the last time, but it came through extra heavy for this game. I tried making something tight with a 400mm lens, but there wasn’t any context to separate it from an outdoor sport. I experimented with the camera aperture between f/8 and f/11, but the picture almost didn’t happen because the event staff closed a curtain to block glare from hitting fans. Luckily, someone opened the curtain again and I had a few seconds before it closed again. I was a little worried about missing something else, but this felt worthwhile and I hoped the video boards would give extra context too.

— Tim Nwachukwu

Isabel Gormley of the United States competes in a preliminary heat for the Women’s 800m freestyle during Day Six of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center on June 18, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska.

The image of Isabel Gormley of the United States was shot during a preliminary heat for the Women’s 800m freestyle. While working at the US Olympic Team Swimming Trials, we are very fortunate to have access to work on the pool deck during competition. This image was shot with a hand-held camera rather than a prepositioned remote camera, which we often use while covering swimming events. I lined up slightly forward of the starting blocks and laid down on the pool deck to position the camera as low as possible. I wanted to utilize a very low camera perspective so that the swimmers would create a “rainbow arch” look as they fired off the starting blocks. This allowed the swimmers to stack up and have at least seven of the eight starting swimmers visible in the photo. Fortunately, all of the elements lined up perfectly as the swimmers are frozen in the air.

— Tom Pennington

Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights makes a glove save as Zach Whitecloud of the Golden Knights, Corey Perry of the Montreal Canadiens and Brayden McNabb of the Golden Knights look on in the third period in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A great thing about covering the Vegas Golden Knights is photographing goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The three-time Stanley Cup champion is known for his old-school style of goaltending that often includes diving poke checks and theatrical, winding glove saves. I will often focus on him if I see a player lining up a shot on him from a distance. In this first game of their semifinal series, Vegas was leading the Montreal Canadiens 4-1, and the Canadiens pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker with more than four minutes remaining in the game. Less than a minute after Fleury had stacked the pads to make multiple saves against Montreal, this shot came in high on his glove side. I hit the shutter when I saw him flinch and got several images of the puck coming at him as well as photos, including this one, with the puck flying back out of his glove and high out toward the blue line for the save. The airborne ice in this frame is a nice element, and the looks on the faces of Montreal forward Corey Perry and Vegas defensemen Zach Whitecloud and Brayden McNabb as they track the play add to the moment.

— Ethan Miller

Giselle Juarez of the Oklahoma Sooners reacts after pitching the final out during the seventh inning to win Game 3 of the Women’s College World Series Championship against the Florida St. Seminoles at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium on June 10, 2021, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Sooners won 5-1.

I knew going into this event that Oklahoma was the favorite to win the Women’s College World Series Championship, but something I learned along the way was the backstory on their stellar pitcher, Giselle Juarez. After coming back from an injury last season, Juarez pitched two complete games during the Championship Series against Florida State to help her team win the title. It was only fitting that she would also make the catch for the final out of the final game. I knew that she would really give it up and would really go crazy after the win, so I shot it wider since the crowd was mostly Oklahoma fans. And unlike professional sports, there aren’t any ads in the background or protective netting, so it ended up being a really clean shot, which draws you right to Juarez.

— Sarah Stier

Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning scores a goal past Semyon Varlamov of the New York Islanders during the second period in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nassau Coliseum on June 17, 2021, in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros hugs Michael Brantley after hitting a grand slam to defeat the Texas Rangers during the tenth inning 6-3 at Minute Maid Park on June 15, 2021, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field on June 16, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a two-run home run in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 13, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Carlos Santana of the Kansas City Royals dives back into first base safely ahead of the throw against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum on June 10, 2021, in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns exchange words after a play that would result in Jokic being ejected in the third quarter in Game 4 of the Western Conference second-round playoff series at Ball Arena on June 13, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers slam dunks against Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz during the first half in Game 4 of the Western Conference second-round playoff series at Staples Center on June 14, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns directs the offense against the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western Conference second-round playoff series at Ball Arena on June 11, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks loses control of the ball after being fouled by Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum on June 17, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks defeated the Nets 104-89. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Jordan Spieth of the United States plays a third shot on the ninth hole during the second round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) on June 18, 2021, in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Conor Purcell of Ireland tees off on the eighth hole during Day One of the Challenge de Espana at Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri on June 15, 2021, in Cadiz, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Bella Sims of the United States competes in the Women’s 200m freestyle final during Day Four of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center on June 16, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Caeleb Dressel of the United States reacts after competing in the Men’s 100m freestyle final during Day Five of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center on June 17, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece stretches to play a backhand in his Men’s Singles Final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during Day Fifteen of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on June 13, 2021, in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates as he kisses the trophy after winning his Men’s Singles Final match against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during Day Fifteen of the 2021 French Open at Roland Garros on June 13, 2021, in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Carli Lloyd of the United States celebrates scoring a goal during the first half of the 2021 WNT Summer Series friendly between Jamaica and The United States at BBVA Stadium on June 13, 2021, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

Manuel Locatelli of Italy celebrates with teammates after scoring their side’s second goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group A match between Italy and Switzerland at Olimpico Stadium on June 16, 2021, in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Roman Yaremchuk of Ukraine is challenged by Stefan de Vrij of the Netherlands during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group C match between Netherlands and Ukraine at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on June 13, 2021, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Lukas Schulze – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 13, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The No. 36 Alpine Elf Matmut A480 – Gibson of Andre Negrao, Nicolas Lapierre, and Mathieu Vaxiviere leads at the start of the race at Autodromo do Algarve on June 13, 2021, in Lagoa, Algarve, Portugal. (Photo by James Moy Photography/Getty Images)