Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Jimmy Buckets", he is a six-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA Team member, and a five-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He won a gold medal as a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team.

Butler played one year of college basketball for Tyler Junior College before transferring to Marquette University. He was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. In 2015, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player. After six seasons in Chicago, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in June 2017, and was then again traded in November 2018, this time to the Philadelphia 76ers. In July 2019, he signed with the Miami Heat. During his first season with the team, Butler reached the NBA Finals. In 2021, he led the league in steals. In 2023, Butler and the eighth-seeded Heat played in the 2023 NBA Finals, their second appearance in four years. Amidst conflicts with the Heat's front office, Butler was traded to the Warriors in 2025.

Early life

Butler was born in Houston on September 14, 1989. His father, Jimmy Butler Jr., left the family when Butler was an infant. Butler lived with his mother in the Houston suburb of Tomball, until she kicked him out of the house when he was 13 years old. As Butler remembered it in a 2011 interview, she told him, "I don't like the look of you. You gotta go." He moved between the homes of various friends, staying for a few weeks at a time before moving to another house. Butler maintains a relationship with his parents, saying, "I don't hold grudges. I still talk to my family. My mom. My father. We love each other. That's never going to change."

In a summer basketball league before his senior year at Tomball High School, he was noticed by Jordan Leslie, a freshman football and basketball player at the school, who challenged him to a three-point shooting contest. The two became friends, and Butler stayed at Leslie's house for a few months, Leslie's mother and stepfather had six other children between them. Butler would later say, "They accepted me into their family. And it wasn't because of basketball. She [Michelle Lambert, Leslie's mother] was just very loving. She just did stuff like that. I couldn't believe it."

As a junior at Tomball High, Butler averaged 10 points per game. As a senior and team captain in 2006–07, Butler averaged 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and was subsequently voted his team's most valuable player.

Butler was not recruited coming out of high school and chose to attend Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.

College career

After his freshman season at Tyler Junior College, where he had averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, Butler received interest from Division I programs. Considered a two-star recruit by 247Sports.com, he was listed as the no. 127 junior college prospect in 2008.

Butler accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Marquette, where, as a sophomore in the 2008–09 season, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and recorded a free-throw percentage of 76.8%. He moved into the starting lineup as a junior during the 2009–10 season to average 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and received All-Big East Honorable Mention honors. Butler had two game-winning shots versus UConn and St. John's, to help Marquette finish 11–7 in the Big East and earn its fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. As a senior in 2010–11, he averaged 15.7 points per game and received All-Big East Honorable Mention for the second straight year.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2011–2017)

2011–2014: early years and first All-Defensive selection

Butler was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He played 42 games during the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season. The following season, he played all 82 games for the Bulls. Butler played limited minutes to begin the 2012–13 season. His minutes increased over the second half of the season and he started in all 12 playoff games. In an April 9, 2013, regular season game, Butler scored a then career-high 28 points in a 101–98 loss against the Toronto Raptors. Two days later, he recorded his first NBA double-double game with 22 points and a then career-high 14 rebounds against the New York Knicks.

Butler missed 15 games due to injury in the 2013–14 season, but averaged a career-high and season league-high 38.7 minutes per game in the 67 in which he played. He scored a season-high 26 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 30. He set a franchise record when he played 60:20 in a triple-overtime game against the Orlando Magic on January 15, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. At the season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.

2014–2016: Most Improved Player and first All-Star selections

On November 25, 2014, Butler tied a career high with 32 points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets. On December 3, 2014, he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in October/November. He set a new career high of 35 points in a 103–97 win over the New York Knicks on December 18. On January 29, 2015, Butler was named a reserve for the Eastern Conference in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. On March 2, 2015, he was ruled out for three to six weeks with a left elbow injury. He returned to play on March 23 against the Charlotte Hornets, recording 19 points and 9 rebounds in a 98–86 win.

On April 20, Butler set a playoff career high for the second straight game, scoring 31 points in the Bulls' 91–82 win over the Milwaukee Bucks to take a 2–0 lead in their first-round series. On April 25, Butler again set a playoff career high with 33 points, in a Bulls' 92–90 loss to the Bucks, holding their series lead to 3–2. They went on to win game 6 of the series, moving them onto the conference semifinals where they lost 4–2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On May 7, he was named the 2014–15 NBA Most Improved Player and became the first player in franchise history to win the award.

On July 9, 2015, Butler re-signed with the Bulls to a five-year, $95 million contract. The deal included a player option for the fifth year. On December 9, he scored a then career-high 36 points in a loss to the Boston Celtics. He topped that mark with 43 points on December 18 in a 147–144 quadruple overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons. On January 3, Butler broke Michael Jordan's team record for points in a half, scoring 40 of his 42 after the break to lead the Bulls to a 115–113 win over the Toronto Raptors. Two days later, he recorded 32 points and a then season-high 10 assists in a 117–106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. On January 14, he scored a career-high 53 points in a 115–111 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Butler had 10 rebounds and six assists while making 15-of-30 field goals and 21-of-25 free throws to help the Bulls end a three-game losing streak. He became the first Bulls player to score 50 points in a game since Jamal Crawford in 2004.

On February 5, Butler suffered a left knee strain in a game against the Denver Nuggets, and missed the next month. That included the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, to which he had been voted in; he was replaced by teammate Pau Gasol. Butler missed 11 games with the knee injury, returning to action for the Bulls on March 5, against the Houston Rockets. In 34 minutes of playing, he recorded 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal in a 108–100 win, helping the Bulls break a four-game losing streak. He returned to the sidelines on March 7, for the team's game against the Milwaukee Bucks due to back soreness and swelling in his left knee. After a three-game absence, he returned to play on March 14 against the Toronto Raptors. On April 2, he recorded his first career triple-double with 28 points and career highs of 17 rebounds and 12 assists in a 94–90 loss to the Detroit Pistons. In the Bulls' season finale on April 13, Butler recorded his second career triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 115–105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.