Getty Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade were teammates on the Chicago Bulls in 2016-17.
If you play for the Miami Heat, you are inevitably going to be compared to Dwyane Wade. He’s the greatest player in franchise history and one of the best to ever lace them up. Well, Jimmy Butler has had enough of all of it.
The All-Star forward joined the TNT post-game show to debate the issue during a fun interview where Wade, along with Shaquille O’Neal and Adam Lefkoe, fired softball questions at him. Butler hilariously trolled the Heat legend by telling him he was sick of the comparisons. Quite frankly, Butler would rather hang out with his other more famous friend, Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg.
“I’m tired of being compared to him. Everything I do I gotta be comparted to Dwyane Wade,” Butler said. “Ah, you just passed Dwyane Wade on the triples doubles list. Man, screw Dwyane Wade. I don’t have to be worried about being compared to Mark Wahlberg. I’m not an actor. I don’t do that.”
Butler passed Wade for second place on the Heat’s all-time franchise list for triple-doubles last week, but the two keep a tight friendship. Remember, they were teammates on the Chicago Bulls in the 2016-17 season and Wade admitted he had to ask Butler’s permission to join that squad. It was a little touch and go.
“We were taught to hate everything about the Miami Heat [in Chicago] and I understand why,” Butler said. “Y’all used to beat our a** on a regular basis and it was damn near disrespectful.”
Back to the Wahlberg comment. Butler made headlines the other night when he tried to sell a hard foul by flopping on the court. He credited Wahlberg for the acting lesson, but it appears there was another inspiration for it.
“D-Wade taught me that too now,” Butler said. “You know he used to do that.”
Jimmy Butler: “I’ve studied Mark Wahlberg and how he acts so incredibly well and I’ve taken a few pointers.” 😂
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Butler Goes Unnoticed on Jeopardy!
It’s always tough sledding anytime there is a sports question (answer?) on the hit game show Jeopardy! On Tuesday, Butler took center stage in the “Hoops” category when guest host Ken Jennings said: “Recently, this baller-barista launched Big Face Coffee and turned his new team, the Miami Heat, into a title contender.”
Even when they don’t play, it’s still a tough night for the Heat. No one got the clue for Jimmy Butler on Jeopardy tonight. 😳😂😕 #HEATTwitter
The statement miffed all three contestants and no one chimed in. The correct response was Jimmy Butler, of course. His Big Face Coffee brand has banked the NBA star thousands of dollars after he started charging players in the NBA bubble $20 per cup last year.
He plans to take the concept nationwide, possibly opening up stores, as he looks for investors. Wade joked that he might invest $10,000 during the TNT interview on Tuesday night. However, O’Neal flat-out refused to get involved in the venture.
Softer Side of All-Around NBA Tough Guy
Butler has long been considered one of the toughest guys in the NBA. It’s a reputation the Texas native has helped cultivate through his confident trash talk and forceful challenging of teammates. Everyone embraces it.
However, Butler revealed there is a “softer side” to him and it comes out the most when he’s alone with his daughter. The Heat star became a father in October 2019 and opened up about how Rylee’s birth changed him during a GQ interview last month. Butler doubled down on their relationship when talking to Wade on TNT.
“Makes me do everything for that reason, makes everything that I do every single day, I just want to make a home for her, have her set up for the rest of her life and it makes me do things the right way,” Butler said. “I love being a father, especially to a baby girl — as tough as I say and think that I am, you wouldn’t know, you’re just soft. Soft around her and I accept that and I love her more than anything in the world, man. I really do.”
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.
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Miami Heat Star Blasts NBA Legend: ‘Man, Screw Dwyane Wade’