ONTARIO, CANADA — Say the name Vince Carter and you immediately think of a man defying gravity. For 22 years, VC flew through the air in the National Basketball Association, slamming the ball with a combination of power, grace, and ferociousness that made him one of the best in-game dunkers in NBA history. Whether as a young stud with the Toronto Raptors, an established star with the New Jersey Nets, or on his many stops throughout the league, Vince transitioned from talented supernova to elder statesman, guiding the next generation of NBA talent as he prepared for retirement.
It is only fitting then that upon Vince’s formal departure from the league that the NBA’s Canada office paid tribute to the man once called “Air Canada.” For it was Vince winning the 1998 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and his subsequent campaigns for the Raptors that put Canadian basketball on the map.
NBA Canada chose the work of 15 visual artists from around the world who submitted their respective tributes to Vince mostly clad in the purple, red, black, and white of Canada’s lone professional basketball team. Two of those fortunate artists are Filipinos Jayson Atienza and A.J. Dimarucot.
A visual artist who splits his time between NYC and Shanghai, Jayson is Batangas-born with a passion for painting extending beyond the canvas. With a client list that includes Nike, Jordan Brand, ESPN, and MINI, you’ll likely find Jayson painting giant murals and customizing sneakers, cars, and more. His signature style combines bright colors and bold line detail, spreading organically across all mediums.
Previously a creative director for Wieden+Kennedy’s Shanghai office, Jayson also provided the art for Jordan 9 Guanghua flagship store in Beijing and the façade of Nike’s Kick Lounge in Shanghai while also creating customized designs for GAP, Ray-Ban, and Havaianas.
Jayson’s featured art of Carter features a bust shot of the Raptors legend wearing a headband and draped in the purple and red of his time with the team.
On the other hand, AJ is a self-taught graphic designer, art director, and illustrator who has worked on experiential, digital, web/mobile, and integrated campaigns for brands all over the world. He is known for helping Filipino artists online through his Facebook community, Filipinomads Creative Network, and is one of the founders of the Communication Design Association of the Philippines that aims to bring the Filipino designers to the global stage.
A freelance graphic designer who previously served as Art Director at Ogilvy, AJ has shown his talent for design and collaboration in work for brands including Nike, Jordan Brand, adidas, as well as many smaller, independent brands.
AJ’s work featuring “Half Man, Half Amazing” shows Vince in flight and about to throw down a vicious dunk while a purple “V” and a Canadian maple leaf (a symbol of Canada known worldwide) are in the background. The words “Vinsanity” and “Thank You, Vince” are on the edges, while the Roman numeral for 22, XXII is on the lower right corner of the art signifying Carter’s 22 years in the NBA.
Both Jayson Atienza and AJ Dimarucot served as judges during the adobo Design Awards Asia 2019.
For a lengthy professional basketball career and for all the excitement that he brought to the NBA and Canada in particular, it’s no wonder then that even as he embraces retirement, the tributes and accolades are still pouring in for Vinsanity.
