Jimmy Butler is making headlines again after the Miami Heat lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday evening.When asked what went wrong during the game, the six-time All-Star, whose objective is to lead Miami to history against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, delivered some words of encouragement, according to Si.com.
“I don’t know, I can’t answer that. Maybe, we’re at home. We think we did something. I don’t know. It just can’t happen. It won’t happen again, and it starts with myself. I gotta lock in on the defensive end. I gotta go up and get loose balls, so I think if I start playing and doing that, then everybody else has to follow suit,” the 33-year-old said.
Butler is in his fourth season with the Heat, who have made the NBA Playoffs every year. From his first six seasons with the Chicago Bulls to being moved to the Timberwolves and now in Miami, here are four things you should know about Butler, who is looking to make a big impact during the 2023 NBA Finals.
He was homeless
Born on September 14, 1989, in Houston, Texas, Butler’s father abandoned the family and so Butler was raised by his single mother. But when he was 13, his mother sacked him from the house and Butler was compelled to live with friends. “I don’t like the look of you. You gotta go,” his mom said before kicking him out.
Butler, in addition to living with friends, spent time in foster care, being relocated from one household to another until he was a senior in high school. The Leslie family took him in and treated him as if he were one of their own. Butler attended Tomball High School in Texas and began college at Tyler Junior College in 2007, where he averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, according to NBC Sports Chicago. Butler then received an athletic scholarship, which allowed him to transfer to Marquette as a sophomore. He was a student there till 2011, when he graduated.
