02 October 2023 , 20:35
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NBA and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has shown off a dramatic transformation, with the power forward rocking an "emo" hairstyle and lip piercing.
The 34-year-old, who was the leader of Miami's charge to the NBA Finals, where it lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets in June, also got his eyebrow pierced, leaving teammates and media personnel in stitches. "I'm emo," Butler explained.
"You never know how I’m going to show up. I’m emo now," he said before adding: "What's this? This is my emotional state. I'm one with my emotions and so this is what you get."
Butler also issued a season prediction before preparations for the new campaign even get underway. The Heat's first preseason outing isn't until Oct. 11. "This is our year," the Eastern Conference Finals MVP declared. "This is the one. And this one’s going to feel real good, by the way. It’s always been about a championship to me. ... It will always be about that."
His new look caught his teammates off guard, especially Bam Adebayo, who lost all composure. "What is wrong with him? That’s not real. He’s just misunderstood," Adebayo joked. "If this is a phase he’s going through at 34 ... I guess you’ve got to let him go through his phases."
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Butler's new look comes following the trade disappointment of Damian Lillard joining the Milwaukee Bucks and not Miami. The Heat were linked to the former Portland Trail Blazers in what would have significantly boosted Miami, Butler, and Lillard's chances of NBA glory.
In fact, Butler was so upset that he accused the Bucks of "tampering" shortly after the blockbuster trade was announced. "Yo NBA man, y'all need to look into the Bucks for tampering," he said. "Y'all didn't hear it from me, but I heard it from somebody."
Lillard is in a more optimistic mood about his move, though. "The casuals won’t be addressed but the Trail Blazers fans and city of Portland that I love truly will be … and they will be addressed truthfully," Lillard tweeted. "Excited for my next chapter!"
The Eastern Conference champions will kickstart their season at home against the Detroit Pistons and a rematch with conference finalists, the Boston Celtics, will follow. Two more tough fixtures against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lillard's Bucks also come inside Miami's first five games.
Butler averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 22 games in the 2023 playoffs and will be looking to carry that form into the new campaign.