Game 7: The Shot
‘It just seemed to take forever’ How Rick Madonik’s viral photo perfectly captured Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater
It was the shot seen around the world.
Kawhi Leonard’s buzzerbeating basket in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Philadelphia 76ers took what felt like an eternity to land.
Four bounces — and a whole lot of suspense — later, the ball dropped, and the Raptors won the game and series. Toronto Star photographers Rick Madonik and Steve Russell had a first-hand look at the play, capturing the moments leading up to, and immediately after, the shot that shook the city and basketball world.
The now-iconic photo of Leonard — tongue out, crouching in anticipation — Joel Embiid and the Raptors bench watching the play unfold has been shared widely among fans. The Instagram post of Madonik’s photo on Drake’s page has earned more than a million likes
Here’s how the franchisedefining moment unfolded:
Leonard stumbles back after taking the shot at the buzzer. He crouches, watching as the ball bounces on the rim. Embiid desperately hopes for a miss as Raptors teammate Jordan Loyd readies himself to explode in excitement.
For Madonik, stationed far away from the action high up in Scotiabank Arena, there was only one question running through his mind. “What’s taking so long?” He added: “It just seemed to take forever.”
On the floor, Russell had a different vantage point. Leonard had just taken the shot. The arena goes silent. Everyone stares at the basket.
The usually reserved Leonard erupts. The Raptors bench mobs him and the arena descends into pandemonium.
For the 76ers, Embiid’s face says it all: complete disbelief. The seven-foot-two big man was the one defending Leonard before he made the improbable bucket.
Since the photo went viral, Madonik says he’s “pretty happy” with it.
“It’s a really nice picture for that game, for that moment,” he said.