Three newspaper sports covers show a basketball player in a yellow jersey looking shocked or distressed, with bold headlines like "COLLAPSE!", "CHOKE 2.0", and "CHOKE'S ON KNICKS" about the Knicks losing a big game.
The widely published choke-gesture photo from the NBA playoffs showcases the enduring power of a single image to capture and ignite sports passion. In this case, the photographer had line of sight for a second to make the photo.
A Gesture Reappears
On May 21 at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were up by 14 points with 2:45 left in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. As the Knicks lead evaporated and the clock wound down, Tyrese Haliburton of the visiting Indiana Pacers thought he won the game with a three-pointer buzzer-beater. The Pacers bench erupted in celebration. Haliburton put both hands on his throat to reprise the (pretend) choke gesture that Pacer star Reggie Miller made famous a generation ago.
The celebration was premature. Haliburton’s shot for two points from the arc tied the game; the Pacers won 138-135 in overtime. Ex-Pacer Miller, seated courtside with his TNT broadcast colleagues, smiled and pointed to Haliburton.
Reggie Miller wears a headset and points while smiling during a sports broadcast. The caption discusses his reaction to Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer beater in the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden.
New York Daily News social media post of broadcaster Reggie Miller
The choke photo of Haliburton by veteran Associated Press photographer Frank Franklin II was included in [CNN World’s pictures of the week](http://CNN World’s pictures of the week) (May 15-22), along with images of the new Pope, Cannes, tornado damage, and war in Gaza.
How Did the Photographer Get the Shot?
“There is a rotation for floor spots in this series,” Franklin said, “and I just happened to be on the floor for the fourth quarter.”
“I stayed focused on Haliburton,” he continued, “for what I thought would be the final shot, win or lose. I felt that if he makes it, I would have celebration for the winning shot, or dejection if he missed. What I could see of his reaction took less than a second before I lost sight of him. Security stepped on the court and teammates surrounded him. So, it really was a combination of experience and luck.”
Franklin is a fixture in sports photography. After photographing the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, he was assigned to cover the U.S. Open (again) and then the World Series.
A person wearing black glasses and a dark shirt looks directly at the camera, with soft lighting highlighting one side of their face against a neutral background.
Associated Press photographer Frank Franklin II
As a student at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication, Franklin joined The Associated Press as an intern in 2001. Since late 2002, he has been based in New York.
Newspaper Trifecta in New York
Three New York newspapers used the choke photo on May 22: Newsday, New York Daily News, and New York Post. The New York Post’s “CHOKE 2.O” — with Haliburton holding his throat and a file photo of Miller — generated robust engagement on social media.
A New York Post Sports cover shows two New York Knicks basketball players, one holding his head in disappointment and another making a shocked expression, with the headline "CHOKE 2.0" and subhead about a Knicks collapse.
In 1994, Miller flashed the choke signal to Knicks fan Spike Lee during the Eastern Conference finals. Miller, a Hall of Fame guard, scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to put the Pacers up 3-2.
New York won the next two games and the series.
A tweet by Dylan Backer with a photo of Reggie Miller making a choking gesture. The tweet notes the Pacers lost the series after Miller’s famous "choke" gesture toward the Knicks.
The 2025 Eastern Conference finals started in New York with two road wins by the Pacers. The Knicks rallied to win Game 3 in Indianapolis, prompting pun-loving headline writers at the New York Post to publish this large-font cover page: “CHOKE’S ON THEM! Knicks rally from 20 down as Pacers cough up Game 3.”
Game 4 for this storied rivalry is scheduled for May 27 at 8 PM ET on TNT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Image credits: Featured image by Frank Franklin II
About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).