Nathaniel S. Butler has photographed the NBA from up close for over 40 years, from the era of cigarette smoke to the era of outthrust smartphones. He spoke to Giri Nathan about how he crafts these images and finds new ways to look at the game.
Follow the link in bio to read the full interview at Defector.
"Those who watched Harden fall apart at the end of the playoffs in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2017, 2015, or 2013 will not be surprised to learn that it's not going too well."
At Defector, read Patrick Redford on a predictable fate for playoff James Harden.
The WNBA is back, and so is @defectormedia ’s TEN MINUTE QUARTERS at @littlefieldnyc on May 18! We’ll have giveaways, games, goofs, and as always a lineup of hilarious comics. Go to defector.com/wnbashow for tickets, use code LETSGOLIBS for 10% off
"Nobody gets paid, and nobody plays for all that much, either. Players receive neither prize money, world ranking points, nor international tournament qualifications; most teams pay their own way. The tournament organizers are also volunteers. Everyone shows up for love of the game—and they play and administrate it ferociously."
At Defector, read E.Y. Zhao on "washed ball" and the many storylines at this year's table tennis Nationals.
Defector's new parenting column, Minor Dilemmas, is dispensing wisdom weekly.
The latest is a beautiful piece by Albert Burneko on how to resolve conflict between your kids. At Defector, read his advice in full.
"We're in an upside-down world, one where someone can be obsessed with uncovering Jeffrey Epstein and his pedophile cabal, then vote a member of the Epstein cabal into the highest office in the land, and then happily go see a new Michael Jackson hagiography. No one knows the line anymore between enjoyment and endorsement, and no one wants to think critically about their choices; they simply want satisfaction at all costs."
At Defector, read Israel Daramola's review of 'Michael.'
Tonight the Knicks will play Game 4 of their first-round series against the Hawks. Perhaps they should adapt their crunch-time offense to include "passing."
At Defector, read the full plea by Giri Nathan.
"Yes, all the fathers are deceased. I wouldn’t blame you if you’ve never noticed—it’s not an obvious conceit of the show as much as a quiet pattern, like the showrunners are trying to MKUltra millennial women into believing that you can only fall in love if your father exists solely in postmortem flashback. But it’s true."
At Defector, read Becca Young's dad-centric reading of 'Bridgerton.'
"I thought it might be gut-wrenching going through all this stuff without my son. It turns out he was there all the time. I could feel him laughing and talk to him in asides."
At Defector, read Drew McQuade on the experience of sorting through the vast t-shirt collection assembled by his son, Dan McQuade, our friend and colleague who passed in January.
"If you want to say it's maybe the greatest block of all time, you could also say it might be the greatest non-call of all time," Mike Breen told Defector.
Read about the iconic LeBron James block from Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, from the perspective of two key guys:
Mike Breen, the commentator who called it
Monty McCutchen, the ref who let it play out
At the link in bio, check out the full piece by Ben Dowsett at Defector.
