Getty Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler reacts during a 2021 bout with the Boston Celtics.
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has a whole lot on his plate right now as he endeavors to get his team to the NBA Playoffs amid a roller-coaster campaign. And while that’s already rarefied air for any human, the baller just got wrapped up in another affair that few people in the world could ever relate to.
Specifically, Butler was named in a billion-dollar, class-action lawsuit. And, yes — that’s billion with a B.
The Moskowitz Law Firm and Boies Schiller Flexner filed suit against the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, as well as Butler, in the Southern District of Florida on March 31, as reported by Fortune. That suit alleges that Binance was trading cryptocurrencies that are technically unregistered securities, and that high-profile celebrities, athletes and influencers paid by Binance promoted said cryptocurrencies unlawfully.
The plaintiffs include two Florida residents and a third party from California, all of whom suffered financial losses as a result of trading coins promoted by Binance, Butler and other influencers.
Per the complaint — which seeks damages exceeding $1 billion from Binance and the aforementioned influencers — anyone who incurs losses due to their purchase of unregistered securities is entitled to damages equal to those losses under certain state securities laws.
Former NBA Sharpshooter JJ Redick Is the Latest to Endorse Heat’s Jimmy Butler for All-NBA Nod
Meanwhile, on the hardwood, Butler was firing on all cylinders during Miami’s 129-122 win over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. In 37 minutes of action, the six-time All-Star scored 35 points on 12-of-16 shooting while adding a game-high 12 assists, three rebounds and a steal.
However, he saved his best for last, scoring nine points during the game’s final five minutes to seal the win for the Heat.
In the wake of the W, Heat big man Kevin Love called Butler one of the best closers in the Association. However, former baller turned podcaster/analyst JJ Redick heaped even grander praise upon his former teammate (with the Philadelphia 76ers) during a recent episode of his show, The Old Man & the Three.
Redick believes that Butler has been unfairly maligned and that he should be honored with an All-NBA selection, even as the Heat have disappointed in 2022-23.
“Here’s my argument for Jimmy… the Miami Heat have largely underperformed this season because they can’t shoot threes… like, I really believe that is the only reason. They haven’t gotten efficient production out of [Kyle] Lowry, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Duncan [Robinson]…
“There’s no one that has shot the ball well… and Jimmy, by the way, has created a lot of these open looks for them. So, you could argue — he’s averaging 5.1 assists — he’s probably, in a normal shooting year, averaging 6.5 assists and all [the analytics] get amped up [as a result]…
“Jimmy Butler has had a great season and he’s had his most efficient shooting season — career-high two-point percentage… he barely shoots threes, but 35.6% from three after shooting in the 20s the last two years for Miami. Jimmy Butler, to me, should have one of the [All-NBA forward spots].”
Heat Star Bam Adebayo Giving It a Go vs Pistons
Thanks to a hip contusion, Heat pivot Bam Adebayo missed his first game since mid-January when Miami took on Dallas over the weekend. As reported by the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, however, he has designs on returning to the lineup on Tuesday night against the Detroit Pistons.
Adebayo told reporters that he’s “not 100%” but that he expects to play in the contest.
Through 72 games this season, Adebayo is averaging 20.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists to go along with 1.2 steals per contest. He has also connected on 52.9% of his field-goal attempts.