Behind the Lens: 14 Year Old Amvizuals Chasing His Dream in Sports Photography

The sound of sneakers screeching across the floor. Players celebrating after a dunk. Split second moments of emotion, intensity, and adrenaline.

While most visitors at the World Hoops Classic 2026 were focused on the action on the court, 14 year old Aymen, better known as Amvizuals, was focused on capturing it.

Camera in hand, the young sports photographer moved along the sidelines throughout the event, constantly searching for the perfect angle, the right expression, and that one exact moment where everything comes together. Between fast breaks, celebrations, and the spectacular dunks of Chris Staples and the participants of the dunk contest, Aymen spent the day doing what he already dedicates a large part of his free time to: continuing to develop himself in photography.

At an age where many teenagers are still figuring out what they truly enjoy, Aymen is already seriously investing in developing a skill and building experience around something he genuinely cares about.

Not every young person involved in sports dreams only of becoming a professional athlete. Some are drawn to storytelling, photography, videography, media, design, or the culture surrounding sporting events. For many young creatives, opportunities to gain hands on experience can play a huge role in their development, motivation, and self confidence.

At TNS Basketball Academy, we believe it is important to support young people in their development, both on and off the court. That is exactly why we wanted to give Aymen the opportunity to gain experience during a larger event like the World Hoops Classic.

For Aymen, basketball and photography are closely connected. Besides working behind the camera, he is also an active basketball player himself. Next season, he will play for Divine Basketball in Rotterdam in the Dutch first division. Sport has been a major part of his life from a young age, which is also one of the reasons why he feels so connected to sports photography.

“I always liked it when people took photos during my games,” he explains. “So I wanted to do that for other people too and make them happy with photos.”

What started with taking random photos on his parents’ phone slowly grew into a serious interest in sports photography. Because he plays basketball himself, he understands the emotions, intensity, and dynamics of the sport from the inside. Naturally, he started focusing more and more on basketball games and tournaments.

That connection to sports is visible in the way he photographs games.

Sports photography leaves little room for hesitation. Timing is everything. Positioning matters. Anticipation is essential. Often, a photographer only has a fraction of a second to capture the perfect moment before it disappears.

According to Aymen, that is exactly what makes it special.

“The emotions and passion within sports are beautiful to capture,” he says. “It’s a great feeling when you can freeze a moment that is special for someone.”

During the World Hoops Classic, several moments stood out to him personally. Among his favorite photos are a dunk by Olivieno van den Berg over another player and a spectacular dunk by Chris Staples over three people during the dunk contest.

“Those are moments you don’t see every day,” he says.

But beyond the highlights, what stayed with him most was the atmosphere around the event itself.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm and sportsmanship, which made it extra fun to photograph.”

By regularly attending games and continuing to practice, Aymen notices that he is learning more and more about the reality behind sports photography.

“I’ve learned how important timing, patience, and preparation are,” he says. “You learn to react faster and better predict what’s going to happen. By practicing a lot, you also slowly develop your own style.”

His ambitions continue to grow as well.

In the future, he hopes to further develop himself in videography, including filming games and tournaments, creating basketball mixtapes, and eventually even producing short sports films.

And his dreams already extend far beyond the Netherlands.

“I hope I’ll meet a lot of well known people and that people from different countries will get to know my work,” he says. “I also hope to travel abroad a lot for photography and videography.”

Like many young creatives within the sports world, Aymen already has a clear dream in mind.

“My ultimate dream would be photographing an NBA game,” he says. “I’d also love to go to Quai 54 in Paris to photograph there. And in football, it would be amazing to one day photograph a UEFA Champions League match.”

His story shows that sports communities are not only shaped by the players on the court, but also by the young people behind the scenes who bring those moments to life through creativity, passion, and hard work.

During the World Hoops Classic, that role belonged for one day to Amvizuals: a young photographer who is step by step turning passion into experience.