We're excited to be joined by one of the foremost photographic chroniclers of the NBA, Nathaniel S. Butler.
(Read to the end to learn how to enter a drawing for a special prize.)
How prolific is Nat, as he's known? Check out the coffee table book he published in September that puts dozens of his most iconic images in one compendium - Courtside: 40 Years of NBA Photography.
During out Conversation with Nat we learn how his photography hobby entering St. John's University turned into role at the student newspaper, The Torch, during the men's basketball heyday of the original Big East Conference with Coach Lou Carnesecca and stars Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, and Walter Berry. That led to shooting the then-Redmen at Madison Square Garden where he encountered such Sports Illustrated photography icons as Walter Iooss Jr., John Iacono, and Manny Millan.
The next thing Nat knew, he was a wet-behind-the-ears 20-something pitching then-NBA Commissioner David Stern the league's Manhattan offices about hiring photographers to document the league.
And now, 40-years later, Nat's still at capturing some of the game's most iconic images:
- The photo of Steph Curry's 2022 lockerroom night-night at the Warriors won the championship? Nat took it;
- LeBron James with his first NBA MVP Award in his high school lockerroom? Nat took it;
- Bill Russell grinning from ear-to-ear with 11 championship rings? Nat took it;
- Celtics' star Jayson Tatum and his son, Deuce, following Boston's 2024 title? Nat took it.
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