WNBA's Naz Hillmon Finds Peace Behind the Camera Lens

When you spend your life perfecting one kind of shot, it's easy to let the game consume everything else. But Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon found a different way to shoot—and it's changing how she experiences basketball.

Hillmon has loved photography since her younger years, snapping pictures of AAU road trips and morning dew on grass. She even took a film photography class in high school, learning to develop images herself.

About a year ago, her mom gifted her a Sony a7 III camera. "It's my baby," Hillmon says, and now it travels with her to every road game.

Before the camera, basketball road trips meant ordering room service and staying in her hotel, her mind racing about the last game or the next one. Now she explores new cities, breathes fresh air, and actually sees the places she visits.

Currently competing with the USA Basketball 3x3 Women's National Team in Bangkok, Thailand, Hillmon uses photography to create pause in a schedule that never stops. "It really does take my mind off of everything, because I'm thinking about the moment," she explains.

She shares her work on Instagram at @nazgraphy_pics, favoring architecture in big cities like New York—bridges, buildings, clean lines, and symmetrical windows. During the WNBA offseason, she photographed sunny days on South Beach and golf outings with Dream teammates Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard while playing for Laces Basketball Club in Miami's Unrivaled 3-on-3 league.

In January, Hillmon got to combine her two passions, photographing an Unrivaled game between Mist BC and Vinyl BC. The experience challenged her in unexpected ways.

"I was telling the other photographers, I'm like, 'I don't know how you watch this,'" she says with a laugh. "I'm just running around with my camera trying to take the best picture. I don't even know who's winning."

Why This Inspires

For someone whose job demands split-second decisions and constant performance, Hillmon's photography hobby offers something rare: permission to slow down. While basketball trained her to break down plays and react instantly, photography teaches her to widen her perspective and notice what's happening around her.

The athlete who first picked up a camera to escape basketball now brings both worlds together. "Things move very, very quickly in the sports world. It's easy to get caught up in tomorrow's game and next week's practice," she says. "Photography gives me an opportunity to be present."

Sometimes the best way to love what you do is to remember there's more to life than doing it.