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We all know that Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler likes to joke around.
Before the season began, Butler took his media day photos while rocking a very different hairstyle than fans were used to seeing from the six-time NBA All-Star.
My colleague, Mike Sykes, explained Butler’s temporary aesthetic change:
“Normally, we see Jimmy with a fade and either a cornrow style at the top or just his natural hair styled in a specific way. But on Wednesday? We didn’t see any of that.
The man posted a picture with him sporting some locs. And not just any sort of locs — long joints. With gold tips! It was like he’d been growing his hair out for years.
No, you’re not tripping. Jimmy’s hair didn’t grow a whole 12 inches in the span of just a couple of months since we last saw him. That hair is, in fact, not his own hair.
He went and got some extensions. Why? Who knows. But he got them. There’s a whole video showing the process.”
At the time, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst referred to Butler as the biggest “troll” in the NBA because the Miami star knew that the photos would be used for all of the promotional material throughout the season.
Butler said that he only did all of that to make the internet mad, and he eventually got rid of the faux-locs before Miami’s first preseason game.
However, the damage was done as Butler’s photo on Basketball Reference and the league’s official website still depicted him with long hair.
The hairstyle clearly drove someone at ESPN crazy, however, because they have tried every strategy under the son to avoid using Butler’s official media day photo.
To avoid giving any attention to Butler’s hilarious troll, they have tried using a photo during a broadcast that was generated by a video game on NBA 2K.
Their latest strategy, as noted by one Reddit user, was to simply use last year’s photo of Butler from media day.
But to make it look fresh, they made sure to edit on a fake patch to honor the late Bill Russell — every jersey this season has a tribute to the 11-time NBA champion, who died in July 2022.
The Tip-Off
NBA content from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
For The Win caught up with Bill Walton, who will host an alternate broadcast during select Mondays on the NBA App. He said that the telecast will include “every kind of element that you can imagine” and that it will be interactive.
Here is part of what Walton had to say during our long conversation:
“Like a Grateful Dead concert or a remarkable book or a poem or a song, you never know how NBA basketball is going to play out. With the live aspect of this, we’re going to let the show have its say. We’re going to let the music and the game throw it down.”
The first broadcast is on Jan. 23 at 10:00 p.m. ET between the Trail Blazers and the Spurs. Special guests include Julius Erving, Phil Knight, and Adam Sandler.
One To Watch
(All odds via Tipico.)
Kings (-135, -2.5) vs. Grizzlies (+115), O/U 245.5, 10:30 PM ET
If you don’t mind staying up late, this is definitely a game worth watching. Ja Morant is listed as questionable, but either way, these are two of the league’s most exciting young squads. During all games played in the last month, Sacramento has the NBA’s best offense while Memphis has the league’s best defense.
Shootaround
— Who won the Rui Hachimura deal between the Lakers and Wizards?
— Everything we know so far about Shannon Sharpe’s beef with the entire Memphis Grizzlies team
— Danilo Galinari gives an update on his rehabilitation, traveling with the Boston Celtics
— HoopsHype’s NBA Notebook: Russell Westbrook, OG Anunoby, Cam Reddish, Kyle Kuzma, and more