There are not many athletes so closely associated with one photo. It was iconic. When Sports Illustrated's 1994 College Basketball Preview hit stands, it made freshman Felipe Lopez of St. John's University a celebrity for the casual fan.
Lopez, a New York schoolboy legend was "LeBron before LeBron." He entered the St. John's program with extraordinarily high expectations. Expectations that were raised even higher after he appeared on the now famous cover.
"We knew all eyes were going to be on us after the Sports Illustrated cover," says Zendon Hamilton.
Lopez would leave St. John's as the 3rd leading scorer in the history of the program and play in the NBA for 4 seasons before a knee injury forced him out of the league.