Getty Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat.
It’s no secret Jimmy Butler can be hard to play with. Prior to joining the Miami Heat, Butler forced his way off of two teams — first the Chicago Bulls and then the Minnesota Timberwolves — with complaints about the organizations and his teammates along with way. And in his last stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, Butler questioned teammate Ben Simmons’ work ethic before kicking it to South Beach.
Thankfully, since coming to Miami, Butler’s been fairly copacetic with his teammates. That is, until recently, when he got in a playful jab with teammate Nikola Jovic about the World Cup in Qatar. Butler is an outspoken Brazil fan, while Jovic, a Serbian national, is very much not.
Butler: You can get on our band wagon.
Jovic: We lost. I’m not joining that team, bro.
Assistant Coach: Who’s your team?
Jovic: Serbia! And I’m not joining the best team in the world.
Butler: Why are you mad at me that we’re the best team in the world?
Jimmy Butler tries to get Nikola Jovic to root for Brazil 😂
Jimmy Butler is an Avid Soccer Fan
Butler’s fandom with Brazil goes back to 2016, when the Heat star was in, coincidentally, Brazil, for the Olympics. He got a chance to take in the game, watching the Brazilian National Team trounce its opponent. But one player stood out among the rest.
“He won gold in his own country, which is even better,” Butler said of Neymar, Jr., one of the biggest soccer stars in the world. “It was the first time I really paid attention to it and he was killin’ — look at 10 go. And the crowd was just going nuts. I went that one time, and that was it.”
The friendship and admiration ended up being mutual. After getting to know Butler, Neymar chimed in with his own praise.
“Jimmy has a big heart. Our friendship is based on sincerity and honesty. He is shy and at the same time, his fun side is what makes him different.”
Since then, Butler has been spotted wearing soccer jerseys on the sidelines of Heat games, including one for the Brazlian side Santos FC, where Neymar got his start before moving to Europe.
Sabe quem também tá feliz com a vitória do Peixão? @JimmyButler! 🏀
É o #SantosDoMundo! 🌎🌍🌏
Butler, usually hardcore in his opinions, likely won’t be too hard on Jovic, considering the numbers the rookie put up just a few weeks ago.
Jovic Went Off in November for the Heat
Taken 27th overall in last summer’s draft, Nikola Jovic wasn’t supposed to be doing much heavy lifting this season for the Heat. Then came the injuries. With Butler, Adebayo, and Herro all missing time, the Heat slumped out to a rough stretch of the season.
Yet the Heat have continued to find ways to muddle along. One of those ways came in the form of Jovic, who flashed real potential in his increased minutes. After seeing limited time to start the season, Jovic exploded in mid-November, averaging 9.3 points and four rebounds for a Heat team starved of production on the defensive glass. Against the Washington Wizards on November 18, Jovic recorded a 15-point first half, joining just three other rookies to accomplish that feat this season.