courtside: 40 years of nba photography

40 years of stunning basketball photography--both on the court and off--from one of the sports’ greatest chroniclers

As one of the NBA’s premier photographers, Nathaniel S. Butler has shot it all. From iconic moments like Ray Allen’s corner three to intimate portraits of Bill Russell and the NBA50 and NBA75 teams to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry clinching championships, if it was a history-making basketball moment, Butler was there.

Courtside: 40 Years of NBA Photography is a spectacular photographic collection spanning the first four decades of Butler’s career, including the current draft class’s rookie season.

With commentary from NBA legends across generations, including Patrick Ewing, Steph Curry, Jeremy Lin, and Victor Wembanyama, this is the insider look at the National Basketball Association and the man whose photographs have helped define its rise.

This handsome coffee table book is the perfect gift for the basketball fan in your life.

Nathaniel Butler, one of the founding members of NBA Photos, has been photographing and documenting basketball since 1984. From the early years of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird to Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry, Butler has had a courtside seat for the best the NBA has had to offer. What started as developing black-and-white film during halftime at arenas across the country has grown to sharing real-time digital photos across the globe. For the past 40 years, Butler’s imagery of the sport has been on posters in childhood bedrooms and on trading cards treasured by collectors and is now shared with millions across the NBA’s various social media platforms. From portraits of the NBA’s legendary stars to buzzer-beating action, Butler’s work continues to be enjoyed by sports fans worldwide. Dave McMenamin is an NBA reporter, New York Times bestselling co-author of Return of the King: LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Greatest Comeback in NBA History, and has contributed to several ESPN platforms, including NBA Today, ESPN the Magazine, The Hoop Collective Podcast, SportsCenter, and Outside the Lines. Adam Silver was appointed NBA commissioner on Feb. 1, 2014. He presides over a global sports and media business built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League, and Basketball Africa League. Silver was named Sports Business Journal’s Executive of the Decade and has been ranked No. 1 on the publication’s annual list of the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business. He was also named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People and Fortune’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. Patrick Ewing is a coaching consultant for the Charlotte Hornets and an inductee to both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and US Olympic Hall of Fame. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star and a seven-time member of the All-NBA team during his tenure at the New York Knicks. Spike Lee is an Academy Award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter known for She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and BlacKkKlansman, among many other films. He has also been nominated for four additional Academy Awards, won two British Academy Film Awards and two Emmy Awards, and was the recipient of an Academy Honorary Award for his achievements in film and his championing of independent filmmaking.