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Why Jimmy Butler’s work ethic makes him one of the greatest in the game
Jay-Z said it best ‘Dark Knight feeling die and be a hero; or, live long enough to see yourself become a villain.’ For professional athletes, this story rings true year in and year out. The fans will love you one minute and boo you the next.
For Jimmy Butler, there is no difference.
Going into the 2017-2018 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for all-star guard Jimmy Butler. Butler made an immediate impact with the Timberwolves. With the addition of Butler, Minnesota found themselves playing playoff basketball.
After successfully ending a twelve-year playoff drought in his first season with Minnesota, Butler proved to be the hero Timberwolves’ fans were asking for. On the other hand, multiple reports surfaced of Butler wanting out of Minnesota.
Being the Timberwolves saving grace last season, Jimmy Butler was being painted as the villain coming into the 2018-2019 season. Butler was feeling like an outsider inside of the Timberwolves organization.
After not playing basketball all summer, in the Timberwolves’ first practice of the season, Butler let his teammates and front office know the deal. Expressing his discontent with his teammates, head coach Tom Thibodeau, and general manager Steve Layden, Butler made it known that the organization needs him to thrive.
In a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Butler discussed the brutally honest practice which ultimately led to him being traded. He said,
“I love the game. I love to win. That’s all I was doing out there doing, was competing…playing hard doing what I’m supposed to do on the basketball court.”
According to Jimmy Butler, KAT yelled out “Anybody can get this work,” which caused Butler to swiftly reply, “Do it to me.” In Jimmy Butler fashion, he squadded up with the T’Wolves third-string and beat KAT and the first string in a scrimmage just to prove a point.
Butler’s love for the game is almost like nothing we’ve ever seen before. We hear of the sacrifices Kobe Bryant has made during his playing days. However, we have never heard Bryant going a whole summer without television or internet to strictly focus on basketball. That’s a Jimmy Butler move.
The summer prior to Jimmy Butler winning Most Improved Player in the 2014-2015 season, Butler went off the grid. No T.V. No internet. It was just Butler and his friends with a house in Houston, hooping.
Butler explained his thought process behind the move to Sports Illustrator’s Ben Golliver.
“I wanted to be so good at the game that we didn’t have cable, we didn’t have the Internet. Whenever we got bored, all we would do is go to the gym. We’d eat, sleep and go to the gym. We’d go three times a day because we didn’t have anything else to do. We were sitting on the couch, looking at each other, saying, ‘What the hell are we going to do all day?’
Butler’s summertime grind is real. One could even say that the offseason is truly his season. In the summer of 2016, Jimmy Butler walked us through his daily routine in preparation for the season.
Been putting in work all summer long. Proud to share Why I Succeed with @Jumpman23. https://t.co/fKWBalXS32
— Jimmy Butler (@JimmyButler) July 14, 2016
During that same summer, Butler worked with NBA skills trainer Chris Johnson described his workout sessions with the All-Star guard during an interview with Sports Illustrated writer Andrew Sharp.
“I’ll get up at 5 in the morning. Typically my first workout is with Jimmy Butler. Jimmy gets up at 5:30. He’s gonna have his shake, he’s gonna have his breakfast, and then we’re on the floor by 7 a.m. We already have his entire day planned out. Two basketball workouts on the floor, and [in between] he’s going to get strength and conditioning, treatment, and we have his schedule for the week.”
Through all the ups and downs in Jimmy Butler’s young life, he has yet to fold. Last November, Butler landed into the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Since becoming a Sixer, not only has Butler been a walking bucket, the All-Star guard is giving all of himself to the world. Through his YouTube channel. Butler takes viewers through his life experience.
If someone were to Google the definition of hard work, he or she might find a picture of Jimmy Butler as the definition. Butler not only is dedicated to hard work, but he also embraces it. Even in Greece on while on vacation, he found time to get in two grueling workouts. One of which his butler battled through and won.
Butler knows he is an OG to the youth. Young basketball players look up to Jimmy Butler and he knows that. He still makes time to kick with the youth and give back wisdom.
Jimmy is making moves off the court too and has been recently been uploading some dope content on his YouTube channel. With six vlogs already uploaded, you can really see how dedicated and warm-hearted of a character Jimmy Buckets is.
In the media, we get the side of Butler that is seen as arrogant. We’ve heard the rumors of how he’s a bad teammate. For some reason, we find that hard to believe.
You’d never believe those rumors after seeing his personality effortlessly shine through. With everything Butler has had to endure in Minnesota, you know it feels more than good for him to blow out his former team by 42 points.
At 29-years-old, Jimmy has a lot of basketball in front of him, but judging by his work ethic, whatever he decides to put his hand in next, he will crush!
View this post on Instagramhave faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish.