Jimmy Butler is one of the most impactful players in the NBA with the Miami Heat. However, Butler has not always had it easy, and surrounded by the right people he has reached stardom. Starting off with the Chicago Bulls in 2011 drafted 30th overall. However, fast forward to 2023, he has once again proved himself as he singlehandedly knocked out the Milwaukee Bucks. Nevertheless, it is inspiring how Butler has reached where he is today.
Butler like many NBA players didn’t have the luxury to be spoon-fed to the league. He has worked hard at every aspect of his game, season by season he has become better. In 2020, he carried the Miami Heat to its first NBA finals since LeBron James led the Heat to the 2013 NBA finals. Even though his team couldn’t win the title, he sure gave the Los Angeles Lakers a huge headache.
Back when Jimmy was a 13-year-old he was kicked out of the house by his mother. In doing so his mother dished out some harsh words at him. “I don’t like the look of you. You gotta go,” said Jimmy’s mother. However, he was accepted by the Leslie family who took him in and treated him like family. Something which he is eternally grateful to this day.
3) In 2005, Jimmy Butler attended a HS basketball camp where he met Jordan Leslie.
The two quickly became friends, and shortly thereafter, family.
Despite having 7 kids already, Jordan’s mom insisted Butler move in with the family after finding out he had no where else to go. pic.twitter.com/its3VZiv87
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 19, 2020
Before Butler was accepted by the Leslie family, he stayed at his friends and jumped around surrogate homes. Eventually, he was adopted by his friend’s mom, Michelle Lambert. To this day both Jordan Leslie and Jimmy can be seen together.
How is Jimmy Butler’s relationship with his biological parents?
There is a constant rumor about Michael jordan being the biological father of Jimmy Butler. However, it is a joke that doesn’t seem to get old. Nonetheless, Butler’s real parents were never really there for him when he needed them.
However, Jimmy has not let his past define him and spoke about his relationship with his parents back in 2015. “I don’t hold grudges. I still talk to my family. My mom. My father. We love each other. That’s never going to change,” Jimmy told ESPN in an interview. “I don’t ever want [the past] to define me,” Butler said in an interview with Chicago Magazine.