Disclaimer: This is a direct quote from Jimmy Butler from his pre-draft interviews, before he was officially an NBA player, and it really puts his humility on display:
“Please, I know you’re going to write something. I’m just asking you, don’t write it in a way that makes people feel sorry for me,” Butler told ESPN during a pre-draft interview. “I hate that. There’s nothing to feel sorry about. I love what happened to me. It made me who I am. I’m grateful for the challenges I’ve faced. Please, don’t make them feel sorry for me.”
Jimmy is a Texas boy. He liked football, like any Texas kid, played it till 6th-7th grade. He liked playing baseball after that, but he noticed something. He didn’t like the heat at all and needed some air conditioning, just like any other Texan. He also began to realize he was a lot smaller than the other kids and didn’t want to get absolutely crushed. My parents had the same thought process and I thank them every day for this, but at the same I was heated. Not as hot and angry like Jimmy was, but close to that level of anger, I digress. He believes that’s when he started to fall in love with basketball, as he moved away from football.
When Jimmy was 13 years old, his life was as tough as it can be. At age 13, his mother kicked him out of the house and left him with these words: “I don’t like the look of you. You gotta go.” He was moving from couch to couch on his own, but at times, he didn’t have a home. All up until his senior year of high school, he gradually moved into his friend Jordan Leslie’s house. He actually made it a point during a BallisLife interview that he didn’t want to come out of his room so much because he was so scared of losing the great shelter and protection that he had. It doesn’t get any more surreal than that. Jimmy then went on to Marquette, worked his tail off, was often targeted by certain coaches because they really saw star potential. Now Jimmy is earning $140.7 over a 4 year deal, has made 144 million during his career so far, has been known as one of the most elite defenders and intimidating players in the game.
I also would like to add that during this same interview, Jimmy adds that people often would bring up the fact of that Jimmy isn’t the same blood with the people with whom he lived. Jimmy went on to add that that’s not what family is solely about, and he believes that “family is who you love”.
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