Known primarily for his baseball stadium scenes and baseball portraiture, acclaimed artist Mike Kuyper has only ever created a single basketball painting in his entire 30-year career—and THIS is the one. It's a stunningly dramatic tribute to Kuyper's hometown hero Dr. J, based on an iconic mid-1980s photo taken at the Great Western Forum by Sports Illustrated photographer John McDonough. Here, Kuyper has removed all superfluous background clutter, from the spectators beyond to the Lakers and Sixers below. He has also changed the uniform color from Erving's away red to his home white. The result is an inspired, stripped-down masterpiece with the spotlight rightfully on the man of the hour, in his greatest moment of glory—the slam dunk. Arm outstretched, ball palmed, legs moonwalking, Dr. J floats through space and time. This oil-on-board rendering measures 21 x 30 inches and truly belongs in an elite personal collection or museum, if not in the Doctor's own office.

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