25 most 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.

Gavin Sheets of the Chicago White Sox is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the 2nd inning of Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field on October 12, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois.

Playoff baseball is my favorite time of the year — win or go home, emotions are always high! Gavin Sheets hit a solo home run in the second inning of a must-win game against the Houston Astros to give the Chicago White Sox an early lead. The dugout exploded with high fives and handshakes and when he got to the end of the line, the sunflower seeds were flying. The timing was really perfect – capturing Sheets as he was showered with sunflower seeds, like confetti, while also capturing the essence of the moment. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the White Sox, and the Astros advanced to the National League Championship Series.

— Stacy Revere

Deontay Wilder is knocked out by Tyson Fury in the 11th round during their WBC heavyweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena on October 9, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This was a fight straight out of the movie Rocky – both fighters left nothing on the table. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury had put each other down twice up until this point in the fight. I could see Wilder was fighting on instinct as the fight went on. In the 10th round, Fury put Wilder down again and Wilder gamely got up and staged a furious comeback as the round ended, but he was spent. I watched him in the corner between rounds 10 and 11 and he had a faraway look in his eyes as they doused him with water.

I was very aware that Wilder would go out on his shield as he said he would before the fight. I made sure I was on them from the start of round 11. Fury had Wilder trapped in a corner and was going in to finish him. I had to lean my head into the ring a bit to get an unobstructed view but needed to time it right so I didn’t interfere. I had my wider lens ready to catch the knockout and as Fury hit Wilder with the final overhand right, Wilder slumped over the rope for an instant and then fell, stiff like a tree, right in front of me. I had the whole sequence and this I believe was the best frame of the knockout. In my 31 years covering boxing, this was one of the best heavyweight championship fights I’ve ever been to.

— Al Bello

Sophie Cunningham of the Phoenix Mercury and Kahleah Copper of the Chicago Sky battle for a loose ball during the first half in Game Two of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 13, 2021, in Phoenix, Arizona.

When photographing women’s basketball, you can always count on hard action and strong emotion, especially in the WNBA Finals, you know these athletes are going to go all out. In this photo, Phoenix Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham and Chicago Sky’s Kahleah Copper dove for a loose ball. They both got their hands on it and then it became a battle for possession. Following this image, both players fell to the court and tempers ran hot. I personally liked this moment because of the expression on Cunningham’s face – it really showed the grit this sport can bring.

— Christian Petersen

Trent Whittemore of the Florida Gators catches a pass for a touchdown against Brendon Harris of the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second quarter of a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 09, 2021, in Gainesville, Florida.

Touchdown photos are always challenging to capture. Not only do they happen in the blink of an eye, but you need to have a bit of luck for the play to come to your side of the field. In this photo, the Florida Gators were in the red zone and they had just snapped the ball so I was tracking quarterback Emory Jones with my long glass, a 400mm, with a wider 70-200mm, hanging at my hip. Since he’s a mobile quarterback with the ability to scramble and run for a big play, as soon as Jones rolled out to my side of the field, I switched to the 70-200 and keyed in on him. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blue jersey running at me and I could see Jones eyeing him down. I just Instinctively knew that’s where the ball was going, so I panned over to receiver Trent Whittemore and fired off some frames, watching the ball fall right into his hands to make this picture.

— James Gilbert

Collin Johnson of the New York Giants battles in the end zone with Anthony Brown of the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at AT&T Stadium on October 10, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions is sacked during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 10, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Jody Fortson of the Kansas City Chiefs stands in the rain during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on October 10, 2021, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Josh Downs celebrates with Jordan Tucker of the North Carolina Tar Heels after scoring a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on October 9, 2021, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury celebrates with fans following Game 2 of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 13, 2021, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury defeated the Sky 91-86 in overtime. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Nah’Shon Hyland of the Denver Nuggets reacts with a fan after hitting a step-back jumper and drawing a foul against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter at Ball Arena on October 8, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

Ryan Pressly of the Houston Astros reacts after they beat the Boston Red Sox in Game One of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 15, 2021, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Max Scherzer of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after beating the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Oracle Park on October 14, 2021, in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Kyle Schwarber congratulates Enrique Hernandez of the Boston Red Sox after he hit a home run in the third inning against the Houston Astros during Game One of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 15, 2021, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Chris Driedger of the Seattle Kraken skates in warmups prior to the game against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Kraken’s inaugural regular-season game at T-Mobile Arena on October 12, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates a goal against the Vancouver Canucks with teammates Darnell Nurse, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Tyson Barrie during the first period at Rogers Place on October 13, 2021, in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals celebrates his second goal of the third period against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena on October 13, 2021, in Washington, DC. The goal was Ovechkin was his 732 NHL goal. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Crystal Dunn of the Portland Thorns Thorns heads the ball clear during a game between Portland Thorns FC and Kansas City at Legends Field on October 10, 2021, in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by David Rainey/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Gabriel Barbosa of Brazil celebrates after scoring the fourth goal of his team during a match between Brazil and Uruguay as part of South American Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 at Arena Amazonia on October 14, 2021, in Manaus, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Khadija Shaw of Manchester City (obscured) celebrates with teammates after scoring their team’s first goal during the Barclays FA Women’s Super League match between Manchester United Women and Manchester City Women at Leigh Sports Village on October 9, 2021, in Leigh, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Alex Walmsley of St Helens celebrates with the trophy following their team’s victory in the Betfred Super League Grand Final match between Catalans Dragons and St Helens at Old Trafford on October 9, 2021, in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Benson Kipruto of Kenya reacts after winning the 125th Boston Marathon on October 11, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the  No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 9, 2021, in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Cori Gauff of the United States plays a forehand against Caroline Garcia of France during their second-round match on Day 6 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on October 9, 2021, in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Denis Shapovalov of Canada plays a backhand against Aslan Karatsev of Russia during their third-round match on Day 8 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on October 11, 2021, in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Gabby Lopez of Mexico and Brooke M. Henderson of Canada pour champagne on Jin Young Ko of Korea after her win during the final round of the Cognizant Founders Cup at Mountain Ridge Country Club on October 10, 2021, in West Caldwell, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)