”You look bad to me.” You need to leave.

These were the last words Jimmy Butler heard from his real mother before she threw him out of the house when he was only 13. He then couch-surfed with friends for a few years until his senior year of high school, when he met a boy named Jordan Leslie. Fast friends, Jimmy began to spend more and more time at his house, where he met Michelle Lambert, Jordan Leslie’s mother. Michelle and her husband already had seven kids, but after a few months, they did something serious and asked Jimmy to move in with them.

But Michelle and her husband set some rules for Jimmy: he had to follow the limit, go to class, do better in school, and most importantly, he had to be a good example for their kids, who looked up to him. Michelle said Jimmy did everything she asked of him without any problems.

Michelle’s unflinching support lasted all the way through college and high school. Michelle was the one who led Butler across the court on Senior Night when he finished his college job in 2011. Michelle said in an ESPN interview, “I cried the whole time.” He had done so many things. I felt proud and happy at the same time. Everyone didn’t believe him. “He always talks about what we did for him,” she said. I’m not sure he understands what he did for us. He changed our life, too. Having him in our family has made us better people.

Jimmy felt the same, saying, “I give her the credit for helping me become who I am. I love her. You’d think she gave birth to me. I talk to her every morning. She’s very loving. That’s my family. That’s Michelle Lambert. She is my mom.”

Jimmy Butler was drafted by the Chicago Bulls later that year and has played in the NBA since. He is currently in his fourth season with the Miami Heat who just clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. To support Jimmy and the Miami Heat, check out the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals this Wednesday, May 17th, on TNT.