The Best AU Pro Basketball & Volleyball Photos of 2025

Jordan Thompson – Jade Hewitt (Volleyball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Sigma 50 mm Art | F 3.5 / ISO 1600 / 1/320 s

Media Day portraits are my FAVORITE.

I first met Jordan during softball season at the I Am Unlimited photoshoot. She was maybe the nicest athlete I’d ever met and was super free-flowing and open to whatever photo suggestions were thrown her way. Sometime at the start of the shoot, our other photographer, Julia Kostopoulos, leaned over and whispered, “She’s going to win it.”

Having worked with newer athletes prior to Media Day is always a huge advantage. When she stepped into the room in Omaha, we already had a great rapport and positive energy to get to work. I’m pretty sure there were plenty of giggles between shots, but when the lights turn on and the cameras are clicking, Jordan delivers. I was particularly excited to photograph the volleyball athletes in this classic heroic black and white style, and Jordan’s portraits came out looking gorgeous.

Jordan Thompson – Julia Kostopoulos (Volleyball)

Canon R1 | Canon 70-200 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 2000 / 1/1250 s

The Champion.

Jordan is truly the most kind, humble, hilarious, competitive, and incredibly talented human being, and I wanted to somehow capture all of that within one photo. 

I had an idea in my head of what my confetti shot of Jordan would look like (or at least what I wanted it to look like). However, I had no control. I wasn’t sure exactly how the confetti would fall. I didn’t know what Jordan’s reaction would be, or what the other girls would do. All I could do was photograph what was in front of me. 

Afterwards, I didn’t think I had gotten anything that I was going to be proud of. I even told Jade that I felt like I had nothing, but while going through the photos, I saw this photo. A photo of confetti flying everywhere, athletes cheering and dancing, and Jordan in the middle of the chaos with nothing but pure joy on her face. The pure, authentic, most genuine joy on her face is what makes this one of my most favorite photos from the 2025 season.

Molly McCage – Julia Kostopoulos (Volleyball)

Canon R1 | Canon 70-200 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 3200 / 1/1600

Molly McCage. Honestly, do I even need to say anything more?

This wasn’t my first time photographing Molly. I had taken photos of her during League One Volleyball’s inaugural season. After taking photos of her during the LOVB Championship, she was someone I was most excited to get to photograph again when I started working for Athletes Unlimited. I had witnessed firsthand the emotion she plays with and couldn’t wait for more of it.

As the AU season went on, Molly played each week with more intensity than the week prior, which made her celebrations that much more intense and incredibly fun to photograph. This photo is from the last weekend of play, hence it is one of the most intense celebration shots I captured of her this season. 

Molly plays with so much heart, passion, and emotion, and she is truly so fun to photograph. 

Morgan Hentz – Jade Hewitt (Volleyball)

Canon R1 | Sigma 35 mm Art | F 3.5 / ISO 500 / 1/1600 s

This image (and this whole photoshoot) will always hold a special place in my heart! With Volleyball being in both Omaha and Madison this year, I thought it would be fun to lean into the Midwest theme. During our time in Madison, we happened to be staying 15 minutes away from a pumpkin patch and corn maze (shoutout Schuster’s Farm!), and I thought, “Why not?”

So we packed our gear and drove to the cornfield, did some testers before the athletes arrived, and waited for the shoot to start. My energy was through the roof as we waited. The athletes rolled up in some absolutely fantastic outfits, we had a quick meeting, then went into the corn maze and got straight to work so so we didn’t miss the sunset. In this type of setting, I always like to meet with the group beforehand to go over the shooting schedule, plan of attack, address any safety issues, let them feel my energy, and answer any questions. I think it’s important for the athletes to know who is in control of the shoot and who will problem solve and keep the best interests of the group top of mind.

In addition to portraits, Julia and I wanted some movement through the corn where the athletes could run around and feel free in the space. If you know Morgan Hentz, you know she’s an actual ray of golden sunshine with the most infectious personality that is a joy to capture. I had Morgan moving away from me as we shot this photo, and I think the black and white edit just makes this photo feel like HAPPINESS. We edited and exported 1,198 images from this photoshoot, many of which came out unbelievably beautiful, but this one is my favorite.

Izzy Harrison – Jade Hewitt (Basketball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Sigma 50 mm Art | F 3.5 / ISO 500 / 1/320 s

This photo kicked off 2025 in the best way! I wanted to start the year with a new Media Day setup that looked like nothing we had done before. The background, the lights, the set… all were new elements that invited the chance to capture something fresh.

Izzy Harrison truly needs nothing to make a stunning photo, but with all the new elements, she absolutely delivered a banger of an image. I love the texture in her hair and how the warmth of the background accentuates her glowing skin. Izzy has such a powerful look and intense focus in her eyes… she has an aura about her. I remember taking this photo and looking at Izzy and saying, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” I exported this photo so fast and sent it to the social team to get on social media ASAP to hype up Media Day!

Crystal Bradford – Jade Hewitt (Basketball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Canon 300 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 3200 / 1/1000 s

I can’t think of another player at Athletes Unlimited who is anything like Crystal Bradford. She has such a unique, bold, and genuine personality that makes her so much FUN to photograph. She had such a fantastic 2025 AU season, so I found myself keeping the camera on her as often as I could.

This image was shot from the stands with a 300 mm lens. Such a long lens can be great for close-ups, but tricky when athletes get in a mid-court range where they’re too far for a close-up, but too close for full body. I caught Crystal right in the sweet spot with the logo perfectly placed behind her and an on-brand celebration for a huge 3-pointer. You could sit on Crystal for five minutes of any game and shoot a banger, but this one felt special. Crystal played such an impressive season and gave the whole Content Team the emotional shots we live for!

The Court from Above – Meghan Murphy (Basketball)

Nikon Z6 II | Nikon 24-70 mm | F 2.8 / ISO 50 / 1/30 s

Before tipoff on Gameday 6 of the 2025 season, my assignment began in the shadows above the arena lights. With a 24–70 mm lens and a tether clipped tight to my harness, I hiked through backstage corridors, passing posters of the legends—singers, hoopers, trailblazers—who helped build the mythology of the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The climb ended with a nearly 90-degree staircase, each step secured by moving my carabiner to the next post while the court grew smaller beneath me. It was the first time in my career I’d ever been granted access to a vantage point this high, and I had only a couple of minutes to circle the rafters as the clock ticked down—no flash, just me, one camera, one lens; searching for the angle I’d imagined.

Inspired by the legendary NBA photos of players suspended mid-air—layups, dunks, the ball caught in that impossible stillness—I wanted to capture this women’s game from that same timeless vantage point. At a shutter of 1/30s, I waited for the breath-length moment when the ball left a player’s hands and hung halfway to the net, 43 seconds on the clock, and no one knowing the outcome until gravity decides. From the rafters, that fraction of a second felt monumental—another defining frame in the evolving story of women’s sports.

Suriya (Sam) McGuire – Jade Hewitt (Basketball)

Canon 1DX Mark III | Sigma 35 mm Art | F 2.8 / ISO 2000 / 1/125 s

This photo is the “random” photo of the year! The athletes had a group outing to a custom hat-making session in Nashville, and I went along to capture the experience. We went pretty close to sunset, so there wasn’t a lot of light left outside to take any photos of the athlete’s finished creations, but I was able to sneak out with Sam and shoot her new hat.

Little did I know that this photo would pop off on social media! I’m not sure anyone has a better facecard than Sam, and people on social media went crazy. Her brown hat, the brown jacket, and the brick wall made this photo an absolute Nashville vibe. We don’t expect to take bangers on mid-week athlete outings, but Sam came through with her look into the camera and cowboy hat!

Left: Jade Hewitt is the Director of Photography at Athetes Unlimited.
Middle: Julia Kostopoulos is a photographer at Athletes Unlimited.
Right: Meghan Murphy is a freelance photographer for Athletes Unlimited.