By René Guzman, Staff Writer / San Antonio Express-News, 2026-09-09 13:04:48
圣安东尼奥摄影师罗恩·科尔特斯 (Ron Cortes) 是普利策奖得主，摄影生涯跨越数十年。最近，他拍摄马刺球星维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 的一张照片被选为新游戏《NBA 2K27》的封面。
当圣安东尼奥摄影师罗恩·科尔特斯得知自己拍摄的马刺球星维克托·文班亚马的照片登上了《NBA 2K27》封面时，他不得不去查了两个东西：那张照片拍摄时的真实比赛，以及将这一瞬间永久定格的电子游戏。
这张照片拍摄于3月19日马刺队在弗罗斯特银行中心迎战菲尼克斯太阳队的比赛。文班亚马在终场前1.1秒命中制胜后仰跳投，帮助马刺队锁定六年来首个季后赛席位。他出手的位置距离科尔特斯的镜头仅5英尺，随后科尔特斯捕捉到了赛后文班亚马的队友们涌上球场与他庆祝的狂欢场面。
这一瞬间如今登上了《NBA 2K27》的封面。这款由Visual Concepts开发、2K Games发行的热门篮球系列最新作品，现已登陆PlayStation 5、Xbox Series X/S、Nintendo Switch 2以及PC（Steam）平台。
3月19日，马刺队的维克托·文班亚马在弗罗斯特银行中心命中制胜球后与队友庆祝。圣安东尼奥摄影师罗纳德·科尔特斯 (Ronald Cortes) 拍摄的这张照片如今成为新游戏《NBA 2K27》的封面艺术。
售价69.99美元的《NBA 2K27》标准版封面由马刺巨星维克托·文班亚马担纲。
科尔特斯说，能获得认可固然令人高兴。但对于这位曾任职于《费城问询报》、如今为盖蒂图片社工作并定期为《快报新闻》供稿的摄影师来说，这不过是他漫长职业生涯中又一个完美瞬间——那些照片对他而言都意义非凡。
无论是他在波斯尼亚、埃塞俄比亚和南非拍摄的作品，还是在家乡圣安东尼奥的记录——从NBA总决赛、奥运会到超级碗，再到又一个周五之夜的高中橄榄球赛——皆是如此。
“对我来说，能够亲历这么多人的经历、人生与挣扎，这份荣幸本身就让我觉得这个职业是值得的。”科尔特斯说。
在40多年的新闻摄影生涯中，科尔特斯曾荣获普利策解释性新闻奖、年度国际图片奖和世界新闻摄影奖，还收获了来自编辑和同行摄影师的无数赞誉。
在这张罗恩·科尔特斯1996年拍摄的照片中，史蒂文·雅各布斯在家中接受22岁儿子史蒂文·亨德里克斯的安慰。当确定自己无法从一种罕见癌症中康复时，雅各布斯对医生说：“我只想回家休息，直到那一刻来临。”这张照片是《费城问询报》关于美国人选择有尊严地离世的普利策奖获奖系列报道的一部分。
“近十年来，罗恩一直是我们最倚重的体育摄影师之一。”《快报新闻》和《奥斯汀美国政治家》的区域视觉总监米歇尔·福捷 (Michel Fortier) 说，“他的职业生涯辉煌卓著，还拿过普利策奖。他懂得什么是伟大瞬间，也知道如何在正确的时间站到正确的位置，所以（2K）选中他的照片，我一点也不意外。”
新闻摄影师罗恩·科尔特斯（最左）正在拍摄圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson)（3号）和前锋维克托·文班亚马（1号），两人在2025年于圣安东尼奥弗罗斯特银行中心战胜迈阿密热火队后庆祝。
科尔特斯的这张照片让文班亚马成为首位登上《NBA 2K》封面的马刺球员。这也是《2K》系列25年历史上首个包含队友的封面。
在7月下旬的一则Instagram帖子中，文班亚马第一次看到了科尔特斯这张化为游戏封面的照片。他称这张照片“酷毙了”，捕捉到了那个激情时刻马刺队的“全部气质”。
“我最喜欢的一点是，你能在照片里看到我的队友们。”文班亚马说，“我觉得没有比这更适合做封面的照片了。”
A post shared by Ronnie Singh (@ronnie2k)
ronnie2k: Wemby’s first look at his 2K27 cover
严格来说，《NBA 2K27》共有三款封面。文班亚马登上售价69.99美元的标准版，WNBA球星凯特琳·克拉克 (Caitlin Clark) 出现在售价99.99美元的豪华版上，而芝加哥公牛队传奇德里克·罗斯 (Derrick Rose) 则领衔售价149.99美元的至尊版。
《NBA 2K27》的三款封面由三位篮球巨星担纲：（从左至右）马刺球星维克托·文班亚马、WNBA球星凯特琳·克拉克和芝加哥公牛队传奇德里克·罗斯。
科尔特斯并没有这款游戏，更别说游戏主机或玩游戏的兴致了。那张照片只是他在那场意义非凡的马刺比赛中拍摄的众多作品之一——那场比赛最终引领马刺重返NBA总决赛。
不过，科尔特斯家中确实装裱着几张他珍爱的照片：费城76人队传奇朱利叶斯·欧文 (Julius Erving) 即将在芝加哥公牛队头上完成一记凶狠扣篮、迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 仰望惊叹的瞬间；一位年长女性重返母校高中打字课、践行完成学业心愿的画面；以及一群来自南非索韦托的奥运希望之星赤脚列队准备参加万米赛跑的场景。
常驻圣安东尼奥的资深摄影师罗恩·科尔特斯足迹遍布全球，报道过几乎所有重大体育赛事，包括NBA总决赛、超级碗、奥运会和世界职业棒球大赛。
他还保存着1997年与《问询报》记者迈克尔·维泰兹 (Michael Vitez) 和摄影师艾普丽尔·索尔 (April Saul) 共同获得的普利策奖证书，获奖系列报道聚焦身患绝症的患者在面对死亡时如何选择有尊严地离去。
科尔特斯坚持让妻子罗丝·玛丽 (Rose Mary) 装裱了这份荣誉。“他是个很谦虚的人。”她说。
“全世界有太多令人惊叹的作品在不断诞生。”他说，“能成为创作这些作品的人群中的一员，本身就是一种荣幸。”
科尔特斯在圣安东尼奥南区康塞普西翁传教站附近出生长大，毕业于中央高中，随后在德克萨斯大学获得数学学位。此后十年间，他在德克萨斯州、加利福尼亚州以及伊朗德黑兰的高中任教，之后回到德克萨斯大学攻读传播学研究生，主攻摄影。
就在即将为学位举办毕业摄影展之前，他前往特拉华州，在《威尔明顿新闻日报》担任摄影记者。此后他在《问询报》工作了近30年，随后回到圣安东尼奥，在盖蒂图片社和《快报新闻》之间分担摄影工作。
科尔特斯将自己的成功与长青归功于赢得了拍摄对象的信任。他指出，拍摄对象明白他是一位视觉历史学家，来到这里是为了不加评判地记录他们的故事。
这份信任为他带来了丰富而深入的影像故事：阿米什人的集市和一群在谷仓后玩“角球”的阿米什男子、美国伏都教的现状，以及一次他不得不偷偷潜入古巴报道的棒球系列赛。
与某些让他和他的设备伤痕累累的拍摄任务相比，后一项任务简直是轻而易举。
科尔特斯回忆起一次为《问询报》报道出租车司机罢工的经历，当时一辆汽车撞上了他，把他撞飞到空中。当司机走上街头来到他面前时，科尔特斯迅速做了个“全身检查”——“我的装备没事，裤子没破，我没事，他也没事。”他回忆道——然后继续执行采访任务。他甚至询问一位出租车司机能否爬上车顶拍一张广角照片。随后他跳下车，整个人瘫倒在地。
第二天，科尔特斯又回到了《问询报》的摄影台前。
“这就是热爱。”他说，“作为记者，你会觉得自己对人们负有这份责任。”
科尔特斯也曾为艺术付出代价——在11月初马刺的一场主场胜利中，在类似的赛后混乱场面里，他被另一位摄影师的腿绊倒，脸朝下摔在了相机上。
“血一下子流得到处都是。”他说，“你知道，我想爬起来，可他们坚持要给我处理伤口。”
就像当年在费城一样，科尔特斯第二天又照常出现在工作岗位上——这一次是在弗罗斯特银行中心，参加马刺背靠背的主场赛事。
他说，从媒体室里的球队管理层到投篮训练中的文班亚马，马刺上下都来探望这位缠着绷带的科尔特斯，确认他安然无恙。
2025年11月8日，马刺队迎战新奥尔良鹈鹕队的比赛前，马刺球星维克托·文班亚马在弗罗斯特银行中心向摄影师罗恩·科尔特斯致意。科尔特斯在前一晚对阵休斯顿火箭队的比赛结束时在场上受伤。
这就是罗恩·科尔特斯。永远为球队挺身而出、甘当人梯。
圣安东尼奥摄影师罗恩·科尔特斯最近拍摄的马刺球星维克托·文班亚马的一张照片登上了新游戏《NBA 2K27》的封面。
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：Meet the San Antonio photographer behind Wemby’s 'NBA 2K27' cover
Meet the San Antonio photographer behind Wemby’s ‘NBA 2K27’ cover
San Antonio photographer Ron Cortes, a Pulitzer Prize winner whose photo career spans several decades, recently had one of his images of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made into a cover for the new “NBA 2K27” video game.
When San Antonio photographer Ron Cortes learned a shot he took of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made the cover of “NBA 2K27,” he had to look up both the real-life game where it happened and the video game that immortalized it.
The photo came from the Spurs’ March 19 matchup against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center. Wembanyama hit the game-winning fadeaway with 1.1 seconds remaining, clinching the Spurs’ first playoff berth in six years. He pulled up for the shot just 5 feet from Cortes’ lens, which then captured the postgame mayhem as Wembanyama’s teammates swarmed him on the court to celebrate.
That moment now graces the cover of “NBA 2K27,” the latest installment in the popular hoops series developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Games. The game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam.
The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama celebrates with teammates after his game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns at Frost Bank Center on March 19. The photo by San Antonio photographer Ronald Cortes is now cover art for the new video game “NBA 2K27.”
The $69.99 Standard Edition of “NBA 2K27” features Spurs great Victor Wembanyama on the cover.
It’s nice to be recognized, Cortes said. But for the former Philadelphia Inquirer photographer, who now works for Getty Images and regularly contributes to the Express-News, it’s just another picture-perfect moment in a long string of images that all mean the world to him.
That goes for the photos he has shot in Bosnia, Ethiopia and South Africa, as well as around his hometown of San Antonio, from the NBA Finals, the Olympics and the Super Bowl to another Friday night of high school football.
“To me, it’s just the privilege of being able to be there in so many people’s experiences and lives and struggles that has made my profession worthwhile,” Cortes said.
In his 40-plus years of photojournalism, Cortes has earned a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism, a Pictures of the Year International award, a World Press Photo award and countless accolades from editors and fellow photographers.
In this 1996 photo by Ron Cortes, Steven Jacobs is comforted by his son, Steven Hendricks, 22, at their home. When it was certain Jacobs would not recover from a rare cancer, he told his doctor, “I just want to go home and rest until the time comes.” The image was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning series by the Philadelphia Inquirer on Americans’ choices to die with dignity.
“Ron’s been one of our go-to sports photographers for close to a decade,” said Michel Fortier, regional director of visuals for the Express-News and Austin American-Statesman. “He’s had a storied career and a Pulitzer to show for it. He knows great moments and how to put himself in the right spot at the right time so it comes as no surprise to me (2K) chose his image.”
Photojournalist Ron Cortes, far left, photographs San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) and San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) as they celebrate a 2025 victory over the Miami Heat at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
Cortes’ image makes Wembanyama the first Spurs player to make an “NBA 2K” cover. It’s also the first cover in “2K’s” 25-year history to include teammates.
In a late-July Instagram post, Wembanyama got his first look at the Cortes photo-turned-game art. He called the image “a dope picture” that captures “the whole identity” of the Spurs in that moment of emotion.
“The thing I love most about it is that you see my teammates in it,” Wembanyama said. “I don’t think there’s a singular better photo for the cover.”
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ronnie2k: Wemby’s first look at his 2K27 cover
Technically, there are three covers for “NBA 2K27.” Wembanyama graces the $69.99 Standard Edition, while WNBA star Caitlin Clark appears on the $99.99 Deluxe Edition and Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose stars on the $149.99 Ultra Edition.
“NBA 2K27” features three hoops superstars for its game covers: (from left) Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, WNBA star Caitlin Clark and Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose.
Cortes does not have a copy of the game, much less a game console or the inclination to play it. The image was one of many he shot at that momentous Spurs game, which ultimately led to the Spurs’ return to the NBA Finals.
Still, Cortes does have a few prized photos framed in his home: Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving about to throw down a vicious dunk on the Chicago Bulls, with Michael Jordan looking up in awe; an older woman in her former high school’s typing class as part of her mission to finish her education; and a group of Olympic hopefuls from Soweto, South Africa, lined up barefoot for a 10K race.
San Antonio-based veteran photographer Ron Cortes has traveled the world and covered just about every major sporting event, including the NBA Finals, Super Bowl, Olympics and World Series.
He also has the Pulitzer certificate he received in 1997 with Inquirer writer Michael Vitez and photographer April Saul for their winning series on the choices critically ill patients face when they want to die with dignity.
Cortes insisted his wife, Rose Mary, framed the honor. “He’s a modest guy,” she said.
“There’s so (much) incredible work that’s being done all over the world,” he said. “So it’s just a privilege to be part of that group of people that are doing it.”
Born and raised on San Antonio’s South Side near Mission Concepción, Cortes graduated from Central High School before earning a degree in mathematics from the University of Texas. He then taught for a decade in high schools in Texas, California and Tehran, Iran, before returning to UT for post-graduate work in communications, with an emphasis on photography.
Shortly before presenting his final photography exhibit for his degree, he left for a staff photographer job at the Wilmington News Journal in Delaware. He went on to spend nearly 30 years at the Inquirer before returning to San Antonio and splitting his photo work between Getty and the Express-News.
Cortes credits his success and longevity to gaining the trust of his subjects. He noted they understand he is a visual historian there to capture their story without judgment.
That trust has led to rich images and intimate visual stories that include an Amish fair and a group of Amish men playing “corner ball” behind a barn, the state of voodoo in the United States, and a baseball series he had to sneak into Cuba to cover.
That latter assignment was a breeze compared to some shoots that have left him and his equipment battered and bruised.
Cortes recalled one time covering a taxi strike for the Inquirer when a car hit him and flipped him in the air. As the driver came up to him on the street, Cortes performed a quick body check — “My gear’s OK, my pants are not torn, I’m OK, he’s OK,” he recalled — and continued with the assignment. He even asked a taxi driver if he could hop on top of his vehicle to take a wide shot. He then jumped down and collapsed.
The next day Cortes was back at the Inquirer photo desk.
“It’s the passion,” he said. “You feel like you owe people that responsibility as journalists.”
Cortes also suffered for his art at a previous Spurs home win in early November. In a similar post-game scrum, he tripped over a fellow photographer’s leg and fell face-first on his camera.
“And blood was coming out all over the place,” he said. “And you know, I wanted to get up and they were insisting on attending to me.”
As in Philly before, Cortes again showed up to work the next day — in this case at Frost Bank Center as part of a Spurs back-to-back home stand.
From team ownership in the press room to Wembanyama at shootaround, the Spurs checked in on a bandaged Cortes to make sure he was OK, he said.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama greets photographer Ron Cortes at the Nov. 8, 2025, Spurs game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Frost Bank Center. Cortes sustained an on-court injury at the end of the previous night’s game against the Houston Rockets.
That’s Ron Cortes for you. Always taking one for the team.
San Antonio photographer Ron Cortes recently had one of his images of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama land on the cover of the new “NBA 2K27” video game.
By René Guzman, Staff Writer / San Antonio Express-News