Any 12 months of sports in the Bluff City are colorful. Basketball, baseball, football. Grizzlies, Redbirds, Tigers. And that's just scratching the proverbial surface. If a picture says a thousand words, stellar sports photography generally shouts those words. We gathered a small collection of such shots from just one local shutterbug. Can you smell the popcorn?
photograph by wes hale
The Memphis Tigers are bowl eligible for an 11th consecutive season, thanks in part to stellar running back Mario Anderson Jr. The senior scored four touchdowns in a win over North Texas.
photograph by wes hale
The Memphis Grizzlies are celebrating the franchise's 30th season (24 of them in the Bluff City). After a disappointing 2023-24 season, Ja Morant and friends hope for a return to the NBA playoffs.
photograph by wes hale
901 FC played its sixth season at AutoZone Park as a member of the USL Championship. Defender Akeem O‘Connor-Ward scored three goals in 34 matches.
photograph by wes hale
Pitcher Quinn Mathews climbed the minor-league ladder in 2024, finishing his season at Triple A with the Memphis Redbirds. He earned Pitcher of the Year honors from Baseball America.
photograph by wes hale
In his lone season as a Memphis Tiger, David Jones won the American Athletic Conference scoring title. His 698 points were the seventh-most in program history.
photograph by wes hale
Tilly Boler and the Memphis Tigers women's basketball team hosted an exhibition game (to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) against the national champion South Carolina Gamecocks.
photograph by wes hale
Memphis hoops icon Penny Hardaway is in his seventh season as head coach at his alma mater. Each of his first six teams won 20 games, though only two reached the NCAA tournament.
