The Chicago Bulls roster has tossed and turned for the past decade, but at the beginning of the 2010s, it was run by Jimmy Butler. The now-Miami Heat forward cut his teeth with the Bulls, but was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves after spending six seasons with the franchise.
Since then, he’s played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Heat, bringing Miami to two NBA Finals appearances during his time there. Butler has been known for his hard-nosed style on and off the court, and during his time in Chicago, that was very apparent, too. He even got into an altercation with then-head coach Fred Hoiberg.
During an appearance on the Thanalysis Show, a podcast hosted by Milwaukee Bucks big man Thanasis Antetokounmpo, ex-Bull Michael Carter-Williams recalled a verbal altercation between Butler and Hoiberg. (H/t Doric Sam of Bleacher Report)
“Coach Hoiberg is like, ‘Jimmy, this starts with me and you, what’s going on?’ And then Jimmy goes, ‘Well, one, I think you’re soft. Two, I don’t like you,'” Carter-Williams explained. “And he didn’t even get to three and Coach Hoiberg was like, ‘Well, then f–k you, Jimmy.'”
A Jimmy Butler story you just have to hear…. #Bulls @mcarterwilliams joins @Thanasis_ante43 on the latest episode of Thanalysis. #NBA
Full interview: https://t.co/za7LAtcxCp pic.twitter.com/fDT6F4ZaV5
— Thanalysis Show (@ThanalysisShow) May 30, 2024
Butler has made a career out of this type of mentality, and though it may not rub some people the right way, he’s found plenty of success along the way.
