Over the years, the Chicago Bulls have fielded some fun teams. DeMar DeRozan‘s NBA resurgence has been a joy to watch, Derrick Rose‘s run at the hometown kid was legendary, and obviously, Michael Jordan established himself as the best player in league history while donning the red and black. But in recent history, Jimmy Butler also stands out among the pack.
The now-veteran forward entered the league as a spry 22-year-old, and the same hunger he employs now on the Miami Heat was present back then. In fact, as relayed by Jon Greenberg of The Athletic, Butler’s first message to the Bulls in the NBA was about beating the Heat.
When Butler was drafted 30th overall by the Bulls in 2011, the LeBron James and Dwyane Wade-led Heat teams reigned supreme. Butler’s initial message to Chicago was about beating Miami and helping the Bulls win a championship.
“I’m going to put in that work to be able to guard LeBron (James), Dwyane Wade and all those guys so the Bulls can get to that championship,” Butler told the Bulls via conference call on draft night, as written by Greenberg.
Butler also made sure Chicago knew what type of player they were getting.
“I’m going to be a pest,” he said. “Ttake up everybody’s space and make them work for every little thing. I think that’s where everything is going to go for me.”
Over a decade later, and Butler is now leading the Heat on a miracle run and is one win away from the NBA Finals as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
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