13 June 2023 , 00:46
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Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was asked what it would mean to one day be an NBA Hall of Famer, and the 33-year-old responded in brutal fashion as he snubbed the award.
Butler's former team-mate and ex-Heat point guard Dwyane Wade is heading for the Hall of Fame after winning three NBA championships and being named an All-Star on 13 occasions. Butler is a six-time NBA All-Star, but is yet to scoop up a single championship.
While accolades may not be there for Butler, the Heat forward has picked up the nickname 'Playoff Jimmy', and is becoming rather iconic during postseason games. But despite his popularity and possible eligibility to be a Hall of Famer in the future, Butler isn't remotely interested.
In an interview with NBA TV, Butler was asked about what it would mean to one day being honoured with a Hall of Fame spot, due to Wade being inducted. "Yes I have," Butler responded. "(I) don't care. No, I don't, honestly speaking, could care less.
"If I'm being brutally honest if I was selected to the Hall of Fame then I'm not going. It's like all the festivities and that, I just want to go put my feet in the sand somewhere. It's an individual thing, you know. I'm not for the individual type stuff, I'm really not. I'm like a team guy."
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Understandably the interviewer was shocked, and couldn't believe what Butler was saying, but the Heat forward held firm in his opinion. The interviewer tried again to reason with Butler, even asking the question in a different way by suggesting: "But when it's all said and done?"
Again, Butler replied: "No! I don't want to go. I'm not worried about the Hall of Fame so, I promise you. It's an honour it is but... I could care less. I mean that too by the way."
The Hall of Fame honour in the NBA isn't an award they throw around to anyone, and unless Butler wins a championship there's a real possibility that he'd never be eligible anyway. But even if things change between now and the end of his career, Butler isn't interested anyway.
The success of Butler's career depends on how the Heat do as a franchise moving forward, after he admitted he'd never leave the team. "It’ll be the last jersey that I wear," Butler said to ESPN. "When I’m coming into the league, the Heat used to beat the Bulls all the time when they had the Big 3, the Heatles, whatever you want to call them. So me getting drafted to the Bulls, we can’t like the Miami Heat.
"You can’t like D-Wade even though you went to the same school. Then you fast forward and I’m playing with D-Wade with the Bulls, I’m like, ‘This guy is not a bad guy.’ It was just [Tom Thibodeau] that kept hitting me upside my head. And now, full circle, it’ll be the last jersey that I wear."