The gargantuan Shaquille O’Neal once caused Nathaniel Butler’s camera to malfunction when he doused Butler, the N.B.A.’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 N.B.A. 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 N.B.A. 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 N.B.A.’s 50th anniversary in 1996, Butler had an idea. But he did not have enough championship rings.