Meet the Spurs Team Photographer – San Antonio Magazine
As the San Antonio Spurs official team photographer for the last three years, Reginald Thomas II has taken some incredible images on the court, including one last season where he captured forward Keldon Johnson throwing down a vicious dunk on the Boston Celtics’ Grant Williams.
“He banged on him, and I liked that,” says Thomas, 28. “I got lucky for that frame.”
While shooting great on-court moments is always something a sports photographer wants to do, Thomas’ photography philosophy is about more than just game-winning baskets and one-handed slams. Through his photos, he wants to build a meaningful narrative that reveals not only proof of a player’s athletic ability, but also their complete character.
“I try to focus on the humanity of the person as opposed to them just wearing a jersey,” he says. “It’s more about who they are as a person. Who they are can shape how they perform on the court. I try not to make it just about sports.”
His talent for tapping into the human nature of players is evident in his work—whether it’s during pre-game warmups or on the team bus to the AT&T Center. Even mundane moments can be special for Thomas.
In one photo from the Spurs locker room last year, he captured the team celebrating with head coach Gregg Popovich after Pop became the winningest coach in NBA history with a home victory against the Utah Jazz. Popovich is seen laughing seconds after some of his players drenched him in water to mark the incredible milestone.
For another photo, Thomas spent some time with then-Spurs forward Rudy Gay at his home where he watched his two young sons coloring. In another, then-center LaMarcus Aldridge is seen buying shoes for a teen from the Boys & Girls Clubs during a back-to-school shopping spree.
“Sometimes people forget that these players are people first,” Thomas says. “I try to tell the story of the team through these players and their trials, tribulations and triumphs. There is a lot that is dynamic and nuanced in (sports photography).”
Originally from Baltimore, Thomas attended Norfolk State University where he earned a degree in sociology in 2016. During that time, his roommate, who was a photographer on campus, asked him to hold his camera for a quick moment. In that instant, Thomas felt a kind of connection with the camera that inspired him to pursue a job in a field he knew little about.
“As soon as I held onto that camera, my palms started sweating,” Thomas says. “It let me know that I should explore this. For the rest of that semester, I begged my mother to buy me a camera.”
Soon after, Thomas found himself taking photos on campus of everything from sports games to Greek life. On the weekends and summers, he would focus on street photography and news coverage. In 2015, Thomas worked for the Baltimore City Paper covering protests taking place in the streets of Baltimore after fellow resident Freddie Gray was killed while in police custody. Thomas understood how critical his work as a photographer was during this time, but other factors weighed on him. “I didn’t want my career to be built on the suffering of my people,” he says. “So, I made a very deliberate shift in the work I was doing.”
The summer after he graduated from college, Thomas went back to his old high school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, to work on a long-term photo essay of the school’s varsity basketball team. In 2018, he earned a photo internship with the Boston Red Sox, and in 2019 he was hired as the Spurs’ first-ever team photographer.
Since the pandemic has impacted travel over the last nearly three years, Thomas says this season is the first where he’ll hopefully be on the sidelines with his camera for all 82 games—home and away.
“I want to continue fostering relationships with the team to make sure the players are comfortable with me being around,” Thomas says. “It’s a big deal because I’m crafting the narratives of these players’ professional careers.”
And Coach Pop? Most NBA fans are aware of how much his wry sense of humor can sometimes derail an on- camera interview. Has Thomas found a way to bond with Pop when the NBA legend is on the other side of his lens?
“There is a lot of trust there,” he says. “This is the winningest coach in NBA history, and here I am, this kid from Baltimore, who gets to be part of these moments. That’s a great responsibility to have as a photographer, a basketball fan and a representative of the organization.”
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