Jimmy Butler appeared to possibly troll his Miami Heat bosses on Thursday, implying he’s been let down by them in recent times.
At what appeared to be a PR event at his coffee shop, Big Face Coffee, Butler complimented his employee in an Instagram story with what also appeared to be an indirect message to Heat officials.
“This is our best guy right here,” Butler said. “See that, I gave you a compliment. That’s what bosses do: they build you up, they don’t break you down.”
As the camera panned to him, he then gave a thumbs up with a big, petty smirk on his face.
Petty Jimmy Butler Is A Menace
Wearing a David Beckham Manchester United jersey, Butler appears to be focusing on his business ventures as he sits out due to a seven-game suspension imposed by the Heat.
Beckham and Butler have been friends for some time, and the former soccer superstar is now the owner of MLS team Inter Miami. Beckham famously departed Manchester United for Real Madrid in 2003 after a bust-up with his then-boss, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Is Butler taking a shot at head coach Erik Spoelstra or team president Pat Riley? Both? Neither? That’s pure speculation.
What we do know is Butler’s reputation indicates this is someone who knows exactly what he’s doing with public comments like that.
Riley-Butler Relationship Appears Broken
Riley’s most recent public comments about Butler came on the Dan Le Batard show, where he broke down what ‘Heat Culture’ is all about.
“There’s a difference, be who you want to be, but in one of the great biblical terms, render onto Caesar you know what is his,” Riley said. “As players, they have to render unto the Heat really what is theirs too, and while they go out there and they do all these other things, you can’t short cut it with us.
“I’ve actually explained this to the players is that, while you’re under contract with us, you do owe us something. Your collective bargaining agreement contract says that. So, don’t ever take that lightly, and we have a very cooperative group of people.”
Riley’s first criticisms of Butler came in the summer after the Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The Heat superstar suggested things would have been different had he played and Riley commented if Butler wasn’t on the court, it was better to keep his mouth shut.
After Miami chose not to offer Butler a max extension during the summer, the relationship has progressively dwindled and is now getting uglier by the day.
