Getty Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler (R) calls out teammate Kyle Lowry (L) during the postgame conference after their season opener.
Following the Miami Heat‘s absolutely dominating 137-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, players and coaches were in a fantastic mood during the postgame conference, perhaps, none more so than Jimmy Butler.
Butler, who scored 21 points, four rebounds, and six assists during the Heat’s season opener at the FTX Arena, spoke highly of his best friend and new teammate, Kyle Lowry, who made his Heat debut that night.
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“That’s my guy. It’s definitely a blessing to share the court with him. Everyone knows how much love I have for him,” Butler said, before taking a strong pivot with his comments. “But more than anything, I hope that mother****** knows it’s my daughter’s birthday tomorrow.”
“$100,000+ Kyle. She needs that.”
Jimmy Butler made it clear what he wants Kyle Lowry to give his daughter for her birthday 🤑
(via @Brendan_Tobin)
“I want a really expensive gift,” Butler said. “$100,000 plus, Kyle. She needs that. Kyle, $100,000. I’m not f****** around.”
Lowry is the godfather to Butler’s daughter, Rilee, and he responded to his friend’s request on Instagram the following day. The 35-year-old point guard shared the video on his Instagram stories with a graphic of a man shelling out cash.
@kyle_lowry7Kyle Lowry responds to Jimmy Butler’s postgame conference on Instagram
The former Toronto Raptors star, who signed a three-year $85 million contract to join the Heat during free agency, will likely get his goddaughter a very nice gift for her birthday.
Lowry’s Daughter Rylee Is Turning 3
Jimmy Butler’s baby daughter Rylee – pronounces like Riley – arrived a little over a week late. He thinks she came on opening day to show him what’s really important.
Butler has never publicly shared photos of his daughter Rylee nor of his child’s mother, Kaitlin Nowak, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he would hilariously advocate for a very expensive present for his child’s godfather.
Back in April, before Lowry joined him on the Heat, Butler spoke to sports journalist Lindsay Czarniak and country singer Kane Brown on her The Artist and The Athlete podcast about his close relationship with Lowry.
“As competitive as it is, we’re always laughing, we’re always joking around. I would say something else, but then the NBA is gonna look at this and be like, ‘Oh my god, he’s tampering.'”
All jokes aside, Butler is clearly thrilled to have Lowry by his side both on and off the court.
“Kyle is always looking to pass the ball to guys and get them easy buckets, get them in their spots,” Butler said. “I think I get to focus on putting the ball in the basket a lot more. I like that, I work on it consistently… With Kyle playing the way he plays, it gives everybody freedom to just hoop.”
Lowry Picked Up the Pace for the Entire Heat’s Offense
BTW WE GOT SHOOTERS
While Lowry only scored five points, shooting 1-of-8 from the field and 1-on-6 on threes, he accounted for six assists during his first game in Heat jersey. His stats are just one piece of what the six-time All-Star did to elevate the Heat’s game.
Lowry increased the pace of the entire team. “Miami played at a pace of 113.8 possessions per 48 minutes with Lowry in the game compared to 100.1 possessions per 48 minutes when he was on the bench,” Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang reported.
Lowry’s playmaking skills created space for Bam Adebayo’s offensive attack, who scored 20 points, while Butler tallied 21 points. Coming off the bench, guard Tyler Herro put on a real show with 27 points scored. Lowry’s contributions are not lost on his teammates, either.
“Kyle gets everybody involved, so me and Jimmy can focus on scoring and being aggressive and then after that making plays,” Adebayo said. “But from the initial, it will be Kyle playmaking and getting us involved.”
Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Lowry after the game, “His ability to be assertive helps everybody.”
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