Tag: Jimmy Butler

Damian Lillard drops ‘Farewell’ song to fans: ‘I will continue leaving trails, but it won’t be for the Blazers’

Turn this song up! It’s getting shady in here.

There is nothing better than a not-so-shady but actually shady song. Former Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard dropped a goodbye track to fans Wednesday that is so good.

Under his alias “Dame D.O.L.L.A.,” Lillard released the song shortly after his trade to the Milwaukee Bucks. His monumental move to join Giannis Antetokounmpo and crew has the NBA world shook. Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler couldn’t help but ask the league to look into the Bucks for tampering.

Lillard put his thoughts into lyrics to celebrate the occasion in a song called Farewell. When the music begins, it paints a picture of realizing that sometimes situations and life will inevitably change, but pressing forward through the shifts is necessary.

The track seems relatively harmless until the 2:05 mark arrives. That’s when things go full scorched earth.

Very matter-of-factly, Lillard says:

I could never be replaced. They’ll know sooner than later. An arrow pointed at who assumed it was greater. Amazing what I get in return for this labor. I will continue leaving trails, but it won’t be for the Blazers.

Cold. But Lillard wasn’t done yet. The lyrics continue getting hotter.

He then addressed fans directly with hopes for a welcomed reunion before taking a parting shot at the Blazers: In the future, man, I hope we greet with hugs and kisses, but you should know that they the ones that chose another mission. They fishin’.

Whew. Please tell us how you really feel, Dame!

Lillard all but certainly set any remaining parts of the relationship with Portland’s front office ablaze. (I’m sorry. That was too good not to include. Not enough fire puns.)

Hang in there, Blazers fans. At least you’ll still get to see Lillard twice a season.

Jimmy Butler seemed salty Dame Lillard isn’t coming to Miami with ‘tampering’ comments

Is Butler really accusing the Bucks of tampering, or is he just mad?

For much of the NBA offseason, the buzz was that longtime Portland Trailblazer Dame Lillard wanted out and preferred to take his talents to South Beach to join the Miami Heat.

When trade news finally broke on Wednesday afternoon, the destination was instead Milwaukee, where Lillard would join Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

To say the trade was shocking would be a bit of an understatement. Oddsmakers had the Bucks at +3000 to land the seven-time All-Star, and expectations in Milwaukee have shot up as a result.

MORE: Damian Lillard trade grades: Who won the Bucks, Trail Blazers, and Suns deal?

Miami’s Jimmy Butler was one player was seemingly unhappy with the way things ended up, taking to his Instagram stories to tell the NBA they should look into tampering by the Bucks:

“Y’all need to look into the Bucks for tampering,” Butler said. “Y’all do. I’m just gonna put that out there.”

Butler wasn’t the only member of the Miami Heat that thinks that way as Tyler Herro chimed in with a retweet of his teammate.

Are these hurt feelings on Butler’s part, or is there something more sinister at play?

Jimmy Butler could not believe it cost him over $145 to gas up his multi-million dollar Bugatti

Jimmy Butler was SHOCKED.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler was absolutely shocked when he saw his total gas price and he needed to complain about it to anyone who would listen.

Butler, who signed a three-year contract extension worth $146.4 million in 2021, shared a cheeky video filming his reaction when he saw the price that it would take for him to fuel his vehicle.

He isn’t alone, of course. Last year, a survey conducted by Monmouth University suggested that the majority of Americans feel it is difficult to afford gas for their cars.

It’s unclear why the six-time All-Star, however, was so surprised. Butler revealed in the video that he drives a Bugatti — which is one of the most expensive car brands in the world.

WARNING: This video contains language not suitable for work:

“This is highway [expletive] robbery. I’m trying to get some of this gas back. Wow. Do you think if I went in there and told them I put the wrong gas in here they would give me a refund? This is crazy. I’m going electric. Can ya’ll believe it cost $145 to fill up a Bugatti? This is crazy. Unheard of, man. Bugatti’s, man.”

For what it is worth, the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is considered to have the worst fuel economy of any car. It could cost around $10.86 to drive 25 miles for an owner of this vehicle.

It is unclear whether or not Butler was actually frustrated by the gas price or just wanted to make a silly video for his followers on Instagram.

Either way, it felt relatable to see his frustration while fueling up a vehicle. We have a feeling, though, that this shouldn’t put too much of a dent in his monthly budget.

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Rajon Rondo explains why Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade Bulls team failed

Rajon Rondo recently talked about his time with the Chicago Bulls playing next to Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade.

For the better part of the past decade, the Chicago Bulls have been relatively disappointing. They made the playoffs in 2022 but only took one game off the Milwaukee Bucks, meaning the current core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic has just one postseason win in two years.

Before that, and before the rebuild that preceded the current roster, the Bulls had Jimmy Butler. And in their attempt to surround Butler with talent, they created a core three of him, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to find much success during their time together in Chicago.

During a recent appearance on “The Old Man & The Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter,” Rondo spoke about why the Bulls Big 3 failed.

What were your thoughts on the Butler, Wade, Rondo Big 3?

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Coco Gauff reveals she learned her competitive mentality from US Open supporter Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler has truly helped inspire tennis star Coco Gauff.

While competing at the US Open this year, Coco Gauff has had the support of Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.

Gauff, who is ranked No. 6 in the official women’s tennis rankings, has won both of her matches during the opening rounds of the US Open tournament in New York. The 19-year-old Gauff won her most recent match against Mirra Andreeva in straight sets.

She is already off to a much better start at the US Open than she had at Wimbledon in London earlier this summer when she was eliminated in the first round by Sofia Kenin.

According to Gauff, recently crowned champion at both the Washington Open and the Western & Southern Open, it is mostly a mentality change that has contributed to her winning ways. Gauff said that so much of that mindset was actually inspired by Butler (via NY Daily News):

“That switch I had in the last couple weeks. people think some incredible thing happened,” the sixth-seeded Gauff said. “But realistically, the two weeks between Wimbledon and the next tournament I played, nothing could have really changed that much. It was really just the mental thing. I think that’s what I learned from watching Jimmy compete over the years.”

Butler is celebrated for his wildly competitive approach on the court, so he is a perfect person to help Gauff channel her mental tenacity.

RELATED: Jimmy Butler says ‘I’m just a sweetheart until you poke the bear and we’re competing’

While attending the US Open this week, Butler was asked about his friendship with Gauff (via ESPN):

“She is so emotional, in a good way, and she is a champion and I love that she is from the city that I work in and I love to be here and support her and I want her to win every single time.”

Butler, who stole the show at the Stars of the Open Exhibition Match to Benefit Ukraine Relief last week, was seen in the stands looking ultra-focused while Gauff competed on the court.

Earlier this year, when he spoke to For The Win, the Heat star said that tennis was tied with basketball for his “second-favorite” sport.

As he continues to show his support to Gauff, hopefully, it can help inspire her to keep playing well under the bright lights of the US Open.

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A mic’d up Jimmy Butler hilariously won a point off No. 1 tennis star Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open

Jimmy Butler believes that he is one of the best tennis players in the world.

Miami Heat wing Jimmy Butler stole the show at the Stars of the Open Exhibition Match to Benefit Ukraine Relief.

Earlier this year, when he spoke to For The Win, the Heat star said that tennis was tied with basketball for his “second-favorite” sport. Butler clearly had an amazing night at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as part of the 2023 US Open Fan Week.

After some light training, Butler originally began his evening as a crew member for Frances Tiafoe, a basketball fan who is ranked as the No. 10 tennis player in the world. Butler ran out with the other crew members and he looked noticeably taller than his peers.

Butler then competed in an exhibition doubles match with Tiafoe against Carlos Alcaraz (the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world) and Colombian pop star Sebastián Yatra.

While wearing a microphone, Butler faced off against Alcaraz and gave him instructions for how it would go down: Butler didn’t want to serve, then they had a rally, then Butler won a point off the top-ranked tennis star.

It was impressive to see Butler get in some solid hits against someone as accomplished as Alcaraz, who has already won two major titles at 20 years old.

Later in the night, however, the four-time NBA All-Star did lose in a tough match to Yatra.

Fortunately, though, the loss didn’t impact his confidence whatsoever.

Butler said the experience was a “dream come true” and that he feels he is one of the top tennis players in the world, too.

His extremely high belief in himself when it comes to dominating other sports isn’t new for Butler, though.

Butler once told For The Win that he averages a perfect score whenever he goes bowling, so of course he also thinks he is one of the best tennis players in the world.

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Where did HoopsHype rank LeBron James among the best small forwards?

Some may have an issue with where HoopsHype ranked the Lakers’ LeBron James on its list of the NBA’s best small forwards.

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LeBron James may not be the best player in the NBA anymore, but he still has to be considered, at the very least, one of the 10 best players in basketball.

An even more interesting debate may be where he ranks among the best small forwards in the game today.

Many feel Kevin Durant has surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, and some think the same about Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. But Frank Urbina of HoopsHype.com, who recently ranked the best 3s in the NBA, feels James isn’t even as good as Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard.

On that list, the four-time MVP came in at just fifth.

Via HoopsHype:

“This might seem low for the league’s new all-time leading scorer LeBron James, an All-Star last season and a 3rd Team All-NBAer, but that’s just how loaded the small forward position projects to be in the 2023-24 season.”

Butler is an outstanding player, especially in crunch time, but he simply lacks the passing and court vision skills of James, and he is also unselfish to a fault. Leonard, meanwhile, also isn’t as good a passer or facilitator as James, although he’s a better defender.

But the reason Leonard probably should be ranked behind James is he simply cannot stay healthy. Yes, James has been injury-prone since joining the Lakers in 2018, but during that time, Leonard has played in 57 fewer regular season games, and he has been fully healthy for just two postseason runs.

Danny Ainge reveals he could have dealt picks that became Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum for Jimmy Butler

In the end, the non-trade decision worked out well for the Celtics.

Former Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge recently revealed a trade he did not pull the trigger on that could have significantly altered NBA history.

Speaking on The Players Tribune’s “Knuckleheads” podcast, Ainge discussed a potential trade involving then- Chicago Bulls star forward Jimmy Butler, and the Celtics’ All-NBA wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

“Some of the best trades I ever made were the ones I wasn’t able to make,” said the current Utah Jazz team president. “I was trying to get Jimmy Butler from Chicago when I was in Boston, but they wanted a lot. So we didn’t do it because … it would’ve been Jaylen and Jayson, both those draft picks that we got Jaylen and Jayson with.”

In the end, the non-trade decision worked out well for the Celtics. Tatum and Brown emerged to clash with Butler’s eventual landing spot, the Miami Heat, in recent years as both clubs rule the East.

Meanwhile, it seems pretty likely Bulls fans are kicking themselves for not scaling back that offer, given either of Boston’s star forwards would certainly improve the fate of their moribund franchise.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Ranking: The Top 24 small forwards for the 2023-24 season

HoopsHype ranks the Top 24 small forwards in the NBA ahead of the 2023-24 season, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum.

Thus far, we have already discussed the Top 24 players at two positions: point guard and shooting guard.

Today, we progress another spot up the positional order to discuss the best small forwards in the NBA ahead of the 2023-24 season. This is one of the most loaded position groups in the league today although it might not be quite as elite as it was even five years ago as some of these top players have started to age.

Still, the modern NBA star small forward is expected to do everything – score, rebound, create and defend – at a high level, and the top players on this ranking do just that.

Below, check out the Top 24 small forwards for the 2023-24 season.

Start, bench, cut: Jayson Tatum, Paul George and Jimmy Butler

Such players power modern ball clubs on both ends of the floor, but who would you want on YOUR club for tipoff?

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In the NBA of today, capable wings who defend with the same intensity they score are the most sought player type — for good reason.

Such stars as Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum power modern clubs on both ends of the floor, and contenders need at least one to have a shot at winning it all.

At a more granular level, the variety of skill, athleticism and experience among various star wings in the league differ — and will do better or worse in certain contexts as well. So when the folks behind the I Am Athlete “Paper Route” podcast debated on which of Tatum, Paul George and Jimmy Butler to start, bench or cut, a lot of those contexts came to the fore.

To hear their case in full, check out the clip embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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