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The SLAM ICONS series started back in 2026, built around digital covers that honor players, teams and moments worth remembering from basketball history.
If you follow the Knicks, that arm gesture needs no explanation. It was a celly before cellies ran rampant — a true pre-celly celly. Where it came from is another story.
Credit goes to Lamont Coleman, better known as Big L, Harlem's Finest. Larry Johnson borrowed the move, he didn't invent it. Big L died in February of '99, yet his on-stage performances left a lasting mark on the city. Rick Brunson — former Knick and father of the franchise's best active player — caught one of those shows and saw the "L" sign being thrown up. Was it planned, or did it just happen? Like most great stories, there's room for some mystery.
Now rewind to June 5, 1999. Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 11.9 seconds on the clock, and the Knicks trail the mighty Indiana Pacers by three. Indiana had been spending springtime at the Garden all through the '90s. That rivalry was real.
Inbound play, left sideline, right by halfcourt. Allan Houston gets denied the ball. Option one gone. Latrell Sprewell can't shake free. Option two gone. Charlie Ward's last-second pass to Johnson gets tipped, and the ball lands with LJ above the three-point stripe while Indiana's defense has wrecked the play. Time to make something happen, Big L.
Triple-threat, right-footed jab step. Again. Triple-threat, right-footed jab step. Only 7.9 seconds left now, and the clock is slipping fast. Pump fake. It works. One left-handed dribble toward the sideline. LJ rises from distance. The whistle blows. The ball drops. Four-point play. Ball game. An iconic moment.
He never actually hit the "L" celly on that play, but Knicks fans everywhere have the move burned into their memories anyway. The best part? Big L famously once said, "I'm from New York and never was a fan of the Knicks." Funny how history plays out.
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