The gargantuan Shaquille O’Neal once caused Nathaniel Butler’s camera to malfunction when he doused Butler, the NBA’s lead photographer, with Champagne during a championship celebration. Young athletes including Caitlin Clark have mimicked one of Butler’s most famous photos, of Kobe Bryant embracing a trophy in the shower.
Since joining the NBA as an intern, Butler has documented many of the league’s most memorable scenes and cultivated relationships with generations of star players.
“He puts the time and the work in,” said Jayson Tatum, a 27-year-old Boston Celtics forward. “He’s been doing this longer than some of us have been alive, and he’s captured some of the most iconic photos that we all grew up seeing in magazines and online.”
Butler began his photography career at St. John’s University in Queens in the 1980s, where he captured basketball games for the student newspaper. As he prepared for his 39th NBA Finals, he spoke with The New York Times about some of his favorite photos, the process behind them and how technology has changed his job.
Bill Russell, 1996: ‘Such a Beautiful Face’
For a photo shoot of Bill Russell during a commemoration of the NBA’s 50th anniversary in 1996, Butler had an idea. But he did not have enough championship rings.
Although Russell won 11 titles for the Celtics between 1957 and 1969, the most in NBA history, players did not receive rings every year like they do now. For the eight-minute photo shoot, Butler recalled, Russell needed to borrow 10 rings from other former players who were nearby.
The lasting image of Russell with his head in his hands includes 11 rings on his 10 fingers.
“He has such a beautiful face, so you didn’t want him covering it up,” Butler said. “You wanted to show his personality and his smile*.”*
Kobe Bryant, 2001: ‘You Just Melt Into the Background’
Amid the jubilee in the locker room after the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals in 2001, Butler noticed a pensive Kobe Bryant. Bryant, known for his fiercely competitive attitude, was retreating to the shower fully clothed, and he was later handed the trophy by a staffer.
The photo of Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020, has become one of the most recognizable images in NBA lore. According to The Los Angeles Times, Bryant was emotional about his parents’ disapproval about his recent marriage.
“You just melt into the background and document what’s in front of you,” Butler said. “You don’t need a million clicks of the shutter, you just need a couple of frames. It doesn’t have the typical chaos and teammates. It’s him reflecting on what they went through.”
Magic Johnson, 1987: ‘Knowing That You Got the Shot’
Butler’s photos are now instantly uploaded to computers at an NBA facility in Secaucus, New Jersey, where staffers can post them directly online. But in the 1980s, he shot on black-and-white film and was unable to see images until they finished developing hours later.
During the NBA Finals in 1987, Butler said, he was anxious to review the finished product of Magic Johnson completing a game-winning sky hook over Larry Bird, whose Lakers-Celtics battles were key to the league’s success in the 1980s.
Butler said the shot exemplified the angst that photographers had before the process became digitized.
“There was a lot of nerves in the time you click the shutter to finding out when you’re holding up the negative in a hotel room that you just developed, knowing that you got the shot,” Butler said.
LeBron James, 2016: ‘The Whole World Was Watching’
As technology improved, so did the tools at Butler’s disposal. For big games, Butler said he can remotely control up to 10 cameras through a trigger. Although he is primarily stationed on the baselines, those cameras are positioned across the arena, including on the ceiling and behind the basket.
In the final two minutes of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Butler used a remote camera to photograph LeBron James blocking a layup attempt by Andre Iguodala, pinning the ball on the backboard after chasing him down the court.
James’ athletic play kept the game tied, allowing the Cleveland Cavaliers to defeat the Golden State Warriors a few moments later.
Butler said he had mixed feelings about the photo. The shot was not taken through his manual lens, and he did not capture James’ hand on the ball.
“Andre held on to it for a millisecond longer and I hit it,” Butler said. “But that’s a moment. The whole world was watching that play and they remember it.”
Michael Jordan, 1987: ‘He’s Flying in the Air’
As Michael Jordan rose into the air during the slam dunk contest at the 1987 All-Star Game, Butler photographed his suspended body approaching the basket. Butler admires the photo because of Jordan’s athleticism*,* he said, but it is limited by technology of old.
The photo was taken before zoom lenses were widely used and available, preventing Butler from showing the scene at his desired scale. He said he wished that he could show the distance between Jordan and the floor.
“There’s just something about that particular photo -- the beauty of Michael -- it looks like he’s flying in the air,” Butler said.
Ray Allen, 2013: ‘A Little Luck Never Hurts’
With a few seconds remaining in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, Ray Allen saved the Miami Heat’s season by hitting a 3-point shot that sent the game to overtime. Had he missed, the San Antonio Spurs would have won the championship and celebrated inside the Heat’s own arena. Instead, Miami won both Game 6 and Game 7.
Butler, who was positioned on the opposite end of the court, knew Allen was a potent 3-point shooter and took a detailed photograph from a wide angle.
The image captured the ball dangling in the air, the clock showing 6.7 seconds remaining, James already raising his arms in glee and the nervous faces of fans. The stadium workers in yellow shirts were preparing to block off the court with rope if the Spurs clinched the trophy.
Butler said he knew to take a wide shot because of the circumstances. Had it been earlier in the game, he said, the picture would have most likely been a close-up of Allen.
“The context obviously is a huge component of how you frame up the photo*,”* Butler said. “Experience does play a huge role in that and a little luck never hurts.”
Gregg Popovich, 2014: ‘A Unique Perspective’
During a timeout in the 2014 NBA Finals, Butler used a remote camera to take an overhead shot of a San Antonio Spurs huddle that included coach Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who won four championships together between 2003 and 2014, making the photo one of the last images of the men together in action. Popovich, 76, who coached the Spurs for 29 seasons, recently stepped into an administrative role after a few health scares.
“To have the coach with the players huddled around him, it’s just documenting that team from a unique perspective,” Butler said.
Jayson Tatum, 2024: ‘It Was the Perfect Photo’
Amid the pandemonium of celebrations after last season’s title run by the Celtics, Butler found an intimate moment between Tatum and his son, Jayson Jr., who is nicknamed Deuce. As green and white confetti fell onto the court, Butler scoped out Tatum, who lifted his son into the air for a few seconds.
As Butler continued to take photos in the locker room, his image of the Tatums was spreading quickly on social media. Tatum said he first saw the photo days later, after the team’s celebration in Miami. A copy of it is hanging both in his and his mother’s homes.
“It was the perfect photo,” Tatum said. “I think it just embodies the relationship I have with Deuce*.”*