Magazine Curator

Relive history, one magazine cover at a time.

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[Heat Diehards @HeatDiehards]

On This Day – 13 years ago (June 3, 2013)

The Miami HEAT punched their ticket to a third straight NBA Finals, dominating the Indiana Pacers 99-76 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

LeBron James:
32 PTS
8 REB
4 AST
2 STL
1 BLK

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Sports Illustrated Magazine- June 3rd, 2013

LeBron James
📸Greg Nelson

Cover highlighting his versatile play during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

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The headline and multi-part feature ("The James Gang") emphasized how LeBron was effectively playing all five positions at an elite level—point guard, wing, and even center-like roles—during the playoffs. It showcased his all-around game: scoring on the block, facilitating at the point, shooting from behind the arc, and doing everything in between.

This cover captured LeBron as a positionless superstar—a concept that became central to modern basketball analysis. It highlighted his basketball IQ, physical tools, and adaptability in a way few players before or since have matched.

In short, the cover is a snapshot of LeBron at his most unstoppable and multifaceted—a defining image from one of the greatest individual playoff runs in NBA history and a nod to how he was reshaping the game.

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[OLDSKOOLBBALL @oldskoolbballx]

Michael Jordan ends Penny Hardaway & Shaquille O’Neal Era in Orlando.

-Bulls swept Magic 4-0 in 1996 East Finals 🧹

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Sports Illustrated Magazine- June 3rd, 1996

Michael Jordan
📸John Biever

This issue celebrated the Bulls' dominant 1995–96 season where Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and the Chicago Bulls dismantled Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic.

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It celebrates the Bulls sweeping the Orlando Magic in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals (4–0).
The cover photo was taken during that series, showing Jordan aggressively driving to the basket — symbolizing the Bulls “lighting up” Orlando and eliminating a strong contender (led by Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway).

This was right after Chicago finished the regular season with a record-breaking 72–10 mark (the best in NBA history until the Warriors broke it in 2016). The cover represents the peak of their playoff dominance on the way to winning their fourth championship (and the second of their second three-peat).

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[ThrowbackHoops @ThrowbackHoops]

Michael Jordan scored 33 points in an ECF Game 3 win against the Pistons! (1991)

33 PTS
7 AST
7 REB
5 BLK
3 STL
58% FG (11/19)
92% FT (11/12)

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Sports Illustrated Magazine- June 3rd, 1991

Michael Jordan
📸Manny Millan

This cover is historically significant as a pivotal "changing of the guard" moment in NBA history.

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"Finally" — The bold yellow headline perfectly captured the frustration and breakthrough. The Chicago Bulls had been dominant in the regular season but were repeatedly eliminated in the playoffs by the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons (including painful sweeps in 1989 and 1990). This cover came right after the Bulls swept the Pistons 4-0 in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, earning their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals.

The Dawn of a Dynasty: This was the launchpad for the 1990s Chicago Bulls empire. They went on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers (led by Magic Johnson) in the 1991 Finals (4-1), winning the franchise's first championship. Jordan won his first Finals MVP. The Bulls then won titles in 1992 and 1993 (a three-peat), followed by another three-peat in 1996-98.

Symbolic Passing of the Torch: The 1991 Finals pitted the rising Bulls against the fading "Showtime" Lakers. It marked the end of the Lakers' 1980s dominance and the beginning of Jordan's reign as the face of the NBA.

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Few months later she’s on the cover of TIME as the defining look of the entire decade.

Time Magazine- February 9th, 1981
📸Francesco Scavullo

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@WilliamShatner that JCPenney ad might be fake… but this TV Guide cover definitely isn’t! 🚀🌟🛸

TV Guide- March 1967

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Rafael Nadal gave his all on the court.

Tennis Magazine- Jan/Feb 2020

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Still the greatest.

Time Magazine- June 20th, 2016
📸Philippe Halsman

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[Rock History Live! @KTrain939913]

Today in Rock History

April 11, 1988
During a decade of materialism and excess, Neil Young releases This Note’s for You, his 16th studio album, with the title track mocking the marketing industry and corporate music scene.

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Rolling Stone Magazine- June 2nd, 1988

Neil Young
📸William Coupon

This cover marked a major artistic and personal turning point for Neil Young following the most turbulent, experimental, and widely criticized decade of his career.

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The "Anti-Commercialism" Anthem: At the time of the interview, Young was generating massive headlines for the title track "This Note's for You." The song and its music video explicitly attacked corporate rock and musicians who sold out to major brands (mocking advertisements by Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Eric Clapton). MTV originally banned the video out of fear of advertiser backlash, creating a massive free-speech controversy in the music industry.

Breaking the Silence on Trans: In the cover story interview with James Henke, Young opened up with unprecedented vulnerability about his heavily criticized 1982 electronic album Trans. He revealed that the distorted, computerized vocoder voices were a direct reflection of his real-life struggles trying to communicate with his young son, Ben, who was born with non-verbal cerebral palsy.

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[Baseball Performances @MLBPerformances]

14 years ago Today, Josh Hamilton put together an all-time performance. ⚾️

His 5/5, 8 RBI, 4 HR performance vs Orioles May 8, 2012:

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Sports Illustrated Magazine- June 2nd, 2008

Josh Hamilton
📸Lisa Blumenfeld

The cover highlighted his remarkable comeback from drug addiction, with the main feature titled "The Unbelievable Josh Hamilton".

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The magazine highlighted Hamilton's astonishing comeback from rock-bottom addiction to becoming a superstar with the Texas Rangers. It captured him during a historic early-season tear in 2008, where he was dominating as one of the league's best players after years of being written off.

The Backstory: Hamilton was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays—a can't-miss five-tool phenom with elite tools and character. Injuries (including a 2001 car accident) led to isolation, substance abuse (cocaine, alcohol), failed drug tests, suspensions, and him burning through his ~$4 million signing bonus. He missed nearly three full seasons (2003–2005) and was essentially out of baseball.

The Redemption: By 2007, he returned with the Reds via the Rule 5 draft. Traded to the Rangers before 2008, he exploded: AL Player of the Month in both April and May (first AL player ever to do so consecutively), leading the league in RBIs early on. The SI story detailed his sobriety (with support from his wife, family, faith, and chaperone/coach Johnny Narron), ongoing testing, and fulfillment of his massive potential.