LeBron James' career told through 10 photos

For more than half of Nat Butler's 40-year career working as a photographer for the NBA, he has had the opportunity to capture one of his favorite subjects: LeBron James.

"I always loved, and still love obviously, shooting him," Butler told ESPN. "He's always engaged. Some guys are only engaged when they have the ball. But if he's in the corner, if he has the ball, if he's on the bench, he's engaged in the game and you just kind of gravitate toward that. I think he also is one of those superstars that understands the moment."

Butler published an anthology of his work, "Courtside: 40 Years of NBA Photography," with me last year and chose a shot of James during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, soaring in Madison Square Garden to throw down a dunk against the New York Knicks for the cover.

James has since bounced to Miami, back to Cleveland and now Los Angeles -- and Butler's camera has followed him.

In this 23-photo gallery that ESPN curated to encapsulate some of James' biggest moments during his record-setting 23-year NBA career, two photos belong to Butler.

One is from James' Heat days, when he slammed an alley-oop dunk over Jason Terry (see photo No. 10, below): "He always played well in Boston, and you just felt that coming. ... It was just one of those more memorable LeBron dunks, for sure," Butler said.

And the other is from James' time with the Lakers, in the aftermath of L.A. winning the 2020 NBA championship in the Orlando bubble.

For the latter photo, Butler had to remain engaged.

James was smoking a celebratory cigar (see photo No. 20, below) during his postgame news conference after beating the Heat.

Butler had tried shooting James straight on, but the cigar smoke was lost in the bright NBA Finals banner set up behind where James was sitting.

So Butler repositioned himself, with the black curtains to his left providing a perfect backdrop to accentuate the plume of smoke from his cigar.

"He was answering questions, so he wasn't sitting there puffing on a cigar, per se," Butler said. "He had it lit and then in between questions, just took a puff. ... When he exhaled, it was just a cool moment."

It's one of many images selected for this gallery on the occasion of James' 41st birthday on Tuesday.

No. 1

James met the moment in his highly anticipated NBA debut. Against the Sacramento Kings, he finished with 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals -- including one late in the first quarter, where he intercepted a pass and streaked down the other end to break out his signature "Akron Hammer" dunk.

No. 2

In a game that James describes as the moment he knew he would live up to the tremendous hype thrust on his shoulders upon entering the league, James scored 25 straight points down the stretch for the Cavs -- including the game winner in double overtime -- to beat the vaunted Detroit Pistons with an incredible 48-point performance to go up 3-2 in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals.

No. 3

James played 46 of 48 minutes and flirted with a triple-double (20 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists) in Game 6 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals to help the Cavaliers clinch their first NBA Finals appearance in team history.

He shared the celebration with his firstborn son, Bronny.

No. 4

After the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cavaliers to win the 2007 NBA Finals, Tim Duncan found LeBron James after Game 4 and passed on some words of encouragement.

"This is going to be your league in a little while, but I appreciate you giving us this year," Duncan said.

The two would meet two more times in the Finals, with James' Miami Heat winning in 2013 and the Spurs beating James once again in 2014.

No. 5

The "Heatles" arrived on the scene in South Beach with an unprecedented pep rally to celebrate ... before they had actually won anything.

It was here that James uttered his infamous "not five, not six, not seven" championship total prediction -- setting the bar impossibly high for the group, which still won two titles in their four seasons together.

No. 6

James still has the exact date burned into his memory: Dec. 2, 2010. It was his first trip back to Cleveland as a visitor after joining the Heat that offseason.

The crowd was hostile, greeting Miami with nonstop boos, explicit signs and even threw objects onto the court.

James was sharp, though, scoring 38 points on 15-for-25 shooting, handed out eight assists and the Heat romped for their third straight victory in a stretch in which they won 21 out of 22 games as they first found their stride with their big three.

No. 7

If there is one image that encapsulates the incredible four-year run James had in Miami, it's this one.

Dwyane Wade grabbed a defensive rebound and streaked down the left side of the court, forcing a fast break. James dutifully filled the right lane, providing a perfect target for Wade to find with a no-look bounce pass. He famously started celebrating before James even finished the play with a dunk.

Wade told ESPN that if there is one photo from his career he wants autographed from James, it's this one.

No. 8

After Miami blew a 2-1 lead in the 2011 NBA Finals, the pressure on the big three experiment was palpable before Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals against Boston. Down 3-2, had the Heat lost, they not only would've once again fallen short of title-or-bust expectations, but very well could've broken up their core trio that offseason.

With that backdrop, James turned in one of the finest performances of his career -- dominating the Celtics with 45 points on 19-for-26 shooting, 15 rebounds and 5 assists -- to springboard the Heat toward the title.

No. 9

After nine seasons and three trips to the Finals, James was finally part of the last team standing in June.

The Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder -- featuring three future MVPs in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden -- 4-1 for the 2012 title.

James was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

No. 10

Miami pushed its winning streak to 23 straight by beating the Boston Celtics 105-103. James' fingerprints were all over the victory, scoring 37 points with 12 assists and finishing this alley-oop over longtime foil, Jason Terry.

The streak eventually settled at 27 games, the second longest in NBA history.