Jimmy Butler III, born 14 September 1989 in Houston, Texas. Butler plays shooting guard for the Miami Heat and, with this team, surprised everyone by knocking out the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics in the playoffs before facing Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.
Youth
Jimmy loved basketball from a very early age, but he never had the latest basketball shoes or a good Wilson basketball; he always had to make do with whatever he could afford. He did play on his school team, and after playing a year of college basketball for Tyler Junior College, Butler transferred to Marquette University.
As a sophomore in the 2008-2009 season, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and posted a free throw percentage of 76.8%. Starting as a junior during the 2009-2010 season, he averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and earned All-Big East Honorable Mention honors
After a good but not exceptional year, he decided to enter the 2011 NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 30th pick.
NBA
He saw limited opportunities in his rookie year and played 42 games during the 2011-12 season. The following season he played all 82 games for the Chicago Bulls. After playing limited minutes at the start of the 2012-2013 season, he saw significantly more minutes in the second half of the season, including starting his first playoff games; later he even started all 12 playoff games that season.
Philadelphia 76ers (2018–2019)
On 12 November 2018, Jimmy Butler was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers after a mediocre previous season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He made his 76ers debut two days later and scored 14 points in a 111-106 loss to the Orlando Magic.
On 29 January, Butler was moved to point guard instead of shooting guard and put up 20 points and six assists in a 121-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. After that, Jimmy had a good playoff run together with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but unfortunately that dream was shattered by Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors, who knocked the 76ers out in Game 7.
Miami Heat (2019-present)
On 6 July 2019, Butler signed a contract with the Miami Heat in free agency. Things got off to a bit of a rocky start with his new team, but on 9 December 2019 Butler was already named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 27.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. The next day, on 10 December, Jimmy Butler grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, along with 20 points and 11 assists, in a 135-121 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks.
Against all expectations, the Heat reached the NBA Finals after beating the Boston Celtics in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals, earning Butler his first Finals appearance.
Jordan breakup
In 2014 Butler signed a deal with Jordan, and in 2016 he also got his own Jordan basketball shoes. Butler is currently a sneaker free agent after asking earlier this year to end his deal with the Jordan brand. Many brands are vying for Butler's attention, and his playoff performances this year have greatly increased his value. According to his manager, Butler is involved in ongoing negotiations over a multi-year sneaker deal with several brands.
