NEW YORK — Looking at this camera operator’s iPhone, you can hardly make out what is coming through his lens. A nearly opaque, washed-out image of Victor Wembanyama cuts through the screen, as the filmmaker sits just far enough away to fit the 7-foot-4 San Antonio Spurs star in frame.
Sitting in the closest spot in the building to Wembanyama, he has the perfect shot of the shot. As Wembanyama gets the ball, pulls, fires away, and then falls back to the floor as the ball clanks off the rim and the final buzzer rings out, the camera shakes as the man screams, “Yeah!” It’s a genuine POV of a devout Knicks fan watching his team inch closer to history, shooting a courtside scene dramatic enough to win this cameraman another Emmy.
The most exciting angle of Wembanyama’s missed jumper at the buzzer, giving the Knicks a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals, was filmed by Hollywood icon Ben Stiller.
KNICKS IN 4 pic.twitter.com/xoJjimzbo7
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) June 6, 2026
“If you’re lucky enough to have that access and have that point of view, I feel like it’s great to be able to share that,” Stiller tells The Athletic. “I think that’s the biggest part of it, is to be able to share that point of view because I feel so grateful to have that. And then it’s fun to be just witnessing it.”
Stiller has been courtside for the Knicks throughout the playoff run and has turned his X profile into a Knicks Stan account. His profile picture is a photo of a Jalen Brunson jersey. His banner image behind that avatar is a shot of the Knicks celebrating their first Eastern Conference finals win since 1999. He is one of the many famous Knicks fans who are celebrity row mainstays, but he is turning his fandom into a gift for the masses.
He is not only one of the most renowned comedic actors of the 21st century, but has also become an acclaimed director and producer.
Of the hundreds of fan videos that come out of each game, his was different from them all. It wasn’t just that Stiller was sitting so close to Wembanyama that he had to shoot on the ultra-wide lens (0.5x) to fit everything into frame. It was the distinctive tone of the footage itself, colors and shadows that had a Stiller touch.
Most video shot on an iPhone looks more or less the same: lifted shadows, overtly sharpened, ripened colors. It’s set up that way to allow anyone to pull out their phone and easily capture a clean image without editing. But Stiller turns on a special feature deep in his phone’s settings to shoot in Log, a format that deliberately appears nearly grey upon capture. It’s the video equivalent of an old-school film negative.
It takes a keen eye and sense of composition to shoot in Log, as it films everything washed out to the point that you can barely see what’s coming through the screen. But it captures every little detail to allow for a beautiful composition once it’s manually edited in post-production. It’s a filmmaker’s format, reserved for those who can see the final shot in their mind.
“Obviously, you can then control what you want to do with the color,” Stiller says. “Down the line, it’s great to have that flexibility.”
Stiller edited the Wembanyama shot to have strong, blue shadows, with deep orange highlights. Even his color grade is in Knicks colors. It epitomizes how the Log format is designed for the artist to put their stamp on everything you see, capturing Stiller’s vision at a deeper level.
He has been gracing everyone with something unique, courtside footage of cinematic quality from a fan in a Knicks hat just watching their favorite team on a magical run.
“It’s just incredible. It’s so exciting,” Stiller says. “Obviously, to do what I love doing, and then my favorite thing to do is to go see the Knicks play, (it’s special) to have that come together.”
These videos from Stiller are a genuine marriage of his passions. He films in landscape instead of vertical, capturing the shot to be experienced in a cinematic way. It’s not made for social. And while he is filming, he makes it a point not to turn the camera back onto himself, as so many people do these days.
“That’s the last thing in the world (I want),” Stiller says.
Just as Stiller is about to finish his thought, a media member jumps into the interview with their phone out and asks Stiller for a shoutout to Puerto Rico.“Love Puerto Rico!” Stiller says, turning on his game face as the camera is rolling. “Puerto Rico, me encanta!”
It shows how easily he can jump into Hollywood actor mode when called upon, gracious with his time and energy. Filming these scenes courtside is truly just for him, creating memories in the way he experiences them and hoping everyone watching can enjoy his perspective.
“It’s that thing of just trying to appreciate the moment,” Stiller says. “It’s actually hard, even when I’m filming, because I want to enjoy it as a fan, too. So, it’s kind of that balance. So, half the time I’ll drop the phone and just go jump up and down. For me, I’m much more interested in seeing what’s going on out there instead of myself.”
The irony is that when he filmed Wembanyama’s missed shot at the end of Game 2, he got so excited that he kept the camera rolling and left a whole bunch of footage of his crotch in the video when he posted it. Call it artistic expression, or maybe just a Knicks fan too busy jumping for joy to cut the outtakes.
But Stiller is a filmmaker, not just a cameraman. The first stage of making a film is capturing it. Then, the magic comes in the editing room, piecing together the story to say something bigger than one shot ever could. So far, he has just been posting his favorite moments, making quick edits to convert his Log files into something with character.
But could there be something more coming?
“Down the line, who knows what comes out of it?” Stiller says.
For now, he is reveling in Knicks fan heaven. He got a special media pass to Sunday’s practice at Madison Square Garden — as did New York rap legends Fat Joe and Jadakiss — and had his phone out, capturing the scenes. He was even on one knee, getting another close-up shot of Wembanyama during the Spurs star’s press conference.
Stiller even made showing up to the media duties special for Knicks coach Mike Brown, who finally got to meet Stiller.
“This is a great day for Mike Brown,” the Knicks coach said Sunday, with two fists in the air and a big smile.
The truth is, even with all the incredible things Stiller has accomplished in his life, he’s still a kid in a blue and orange candy store. With his Knicks hat on, he’s roaming backstage, chasing the next shot, grateful to be there. So, when Stiller saw the video of Brown’s excitement on X, he responded in kind.
“Great day for Ben Stiller.”
But not as great as the day the Knicks could actually win it all. It could happen as soon as Game 4 in his home away from home. He’ll be there, up close, ready to shoot. Or at least he will do his best.
“I’ll try. I’ll definitely keep the camera going,” Stiller says. “It’s going to be insane.”
