Christina Merrion went from a few eyes on her work in a town of 3,000 people to thousands of eyes on her work every single day.
Soperton, Georgia, is a small town two hours south of Atlanta. It’s known for its historic railroad that connects to Savannah. The residents are known for being hardworking, and that includes the world-class photographer Christina Merrion.
Even though she’s grateful for her humble beginnings, they would serve as the backdrop for something much greater.
The Merrion Dynasty
Christina Merrion’s story begins in 1991, when she was born to two caring parents and a large family who owned a substantial piece of land — over 10 acres. All her relatives lived close enough to walk to each other, so they were always outside together and having gatherings.
“It was a cool way to grow up in a small town, you know,” Merrion says. “Everybody knows everybody. My childhood was great. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Christina feels she had a wonderful childhood, filled with ’90s R&B and classic Cartoon Network shows. “Sometimes I wish I was this age in the 90s, but I can’t complain,” she said.
Christina was also a very active child, always playing outside. Her constant activity helped her discover a passion for basketball.
She was always shooting hoops with other children growing up, eventually going on to play for her school. By the time she reached her senior year of high school, she had decided to pursue a career in sports. Her next destination after Soperton was Valdosta State University, which is where Christina would blossom into her true self.
Discovering Her Path
After helping her sister deal rehab an ACL tear she suffered while playing soccer, Christina was inspired her to want to help others in a similar way. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 2013.
After finishing school, she faced difficulty finding employment in her chosen career field because of the competitive landscape, but her passion for sports never wavered. She started working in sports journalism as a writer and reporter in 2014. In that role, she revived a previous love for photography.
Christina ended up returning to school to earn her Master’s degree, determined to continue to pursuing fitness sciences, but her hobby of covering basketball ended up bringing her down an unexpected path to start a serious career in sports photography.
“It started out as a hobby and a quick way to make money, and then, as I kept doing it around 2018, it just flipped,” Christina says. “I’m like, I want to do this, and I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.
“Really, honestly, when I picked it up, it was not intentional; I didn’t pick it up with [a career] in mind, it just progressed into this.”
Over the next few years, that unintentional hobby would lead her to opportunities photographing future Hall of Famers and worldwide events.
From a Dream to Reality
By 2022, Christina was regularly attending WNBA and NBA games as credentialed media. One night in 2023, her social media saw a considerable boost after she posted a photo of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and superstar Aj’a Wilson. Wilson was so captivated by the image that she retweeted it, showcasing Merrion’s unique camera angles.
The photo was even featured on ESPNW because of its captivating emotion.
She followed that up with renowned pictures of some of the most prominent women in basketball, including JuJu Watkins, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson, and Dijonai Carrington.
Merrion’s reputation has grown online to the point where people are approaching her during games to commemorate her talents.
“When I’m in places, people come up to me and they’re like: are you Chrissy Hussle? Or ‘Hey, I follow you on such and such, like I love your work,” Christina said. “ I think it’s those moments for me when I kind of just realized that I made it.”
In such a complex landscape with so much competition, Christina has learned the importance of grabbing and keeping people’s attention.
“You keep the main thing, the main thing, and so that’s what I do,” said Christina. “It’s to the point now where some people see a picture that I post, and they’re automatically like, I know it’s you.”
2024 was an incredible year for Christina, but 2025 has already proven to be even better.
New Year, New Accomplishments
One of the most memorable basketball events of August was the jersey retirement of Candace Parker. On Aug. 26, Christina attended the event in Chicago for the media company Swish Appeals and captured a shot of the legendary power forward.
Chicago is Christina’s favorite city to visit, so it made the trip all the more special to her.
“[Everyone should] go to Chicago, first and foremost. It’s my favorite city, ” she said. “I’ve been there three or four times — every time I never want to leave.”
Two weeks later, on Sep. 6, Swish Appeals flew her to Massachusetts to cover the 2025 NBA Hall of Fame Ceremony, which featured some of her all-time favorite basketball players.
“I have my four favorite players ever: Candace Parker, Derrick Rose, Allen Iverson, and Carmelo Anthony,” said Christina. “I have this thing where I want to take pictures of all of them, and now I have two of them down.”
While at the event, she witnessed multiple living legends in person, one after the other, and happened to see some of her childhood heroes for the first time. The experience was so exciting it was hard for Christina to wrap her head around.
“[I saw] Sylvia Fowles. I grew up watching her at LSU, Maya Moore at UConn, and Sue Bird, I grew up watching them,” she said. “So, just the class in general that was getting into the Hall, like Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, these are people that I grew up watching, and I have the opportunity to be there.”
Covering the NBA Hall of Fame was one of Christina’s many goals growing up, and now she’s accomplished it in the youth of her 30s. Witnessing so much greatness and fulfilling her dream all in one fell swoop has had a profound impact on her.
“So many basketball legends [were there]. I mean Shaq, Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, Dwayne Wade, LeBron, the list goes on and on,” Christina says. “Tamika Catchings was there. Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams too. I’m just like, these are people that I grew up watching, and I’m in the same room with them. It’s just extremely humbling, and I’m just like ‘[Wow], I’m really here.”
Looking Towards The Future.
It’s evident that Christina is a gifted photographer and will forever offer something unique to the sport of basketball. She’s even started her own magazine with hopes of getting it published globally.
With her career rapidly growing, and some of the loftiest goals she ever thought she’d accomplished being checked off seemingly every month, Christina is drawing on new inspiration to keep pushing herself.
“In the words of Nipsey Hussle, the Marathon continues,” she said. “That’s my 2026 goal: the Marathon continues. Wherever the Marathon leads me, that’s my 2026 goal.”
She certainly has the potential to reach the top of her field, and she’ll continue to improve with time. Her photos have already been witnessed by millions of viewers, and with new stars arriving in both leagues every year, the best is yet to come for Christina Merrion.
“I literally strive to be one of the best photographers in the world, and I’ll keep wishing upon a star until I become one.”
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