Twenty-four of the top NBA players participated in the All-Star Game in New York City back in February. Sons of previous NBA players, former high school prodigies, and the number one overall choice were all on the rosters.
On a junior college roster, there was just one player. Only one player was homeless for a portion of his time in high school. The 11,124-person Tomball, Texas, is home to just one player.
Jimmy Butler’s narrative of being an underdog began during the 2014–15 season, and his Thursday acceptance of the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award was the next development in this tale.
“I feel like I’ve come a long, long, long way from Tomball, Texas, and I couldn’t be more proud,” Butler remarked as he opened his speech at the United Center in Chicago. “I feel like the Bulls are just as proud of me.”
Jimmy, Butler’s father, fled Tomball, some 40 miles from Houston, before Butler’s upbringing even started. Butler was ejected from his home by his mother Londa when he was thirteen. Butler admitted to ESPN.com in 2011 that she placed him up for adoption because “she didn’t like the look of him.”
Butler moved in with Jermaine Thomas, a friend whose father was a truck driver who traveled a lot. Butler first met Jordan Leslie, a freshman, during a basketball camp prior to his senior year of high school. Born to an African-American father and a white mother, Leslie had lost his father in an automobile аccident before. Butler, then sixteen, and Thomas moved in with Leslie, his three brothers, and his mother, Michelle Lambert, prior to his final year at Tomball High School. Butler refers to Lambert as “Mommy.”
Butler found a mother figure, but he still needed to improve as a basketball player. Due to a lack of collegiate offers, he had to play below the NCAA level in his hometown.
Bulls General Manager Gar Forman remarked, “You look back at Jimmy’s story and it really is amazing that we’re here today.” “You go back to high school, and Jimmy attends Tyler Junior College. He was essentially a non-recruited player. Jimmy claims it’s the Texas garden spot, but I haven’t been there more than three or four times, so I’m not sure.”
Butler played just one season at Tyler, averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. Buzz Williams, the Marquette coach at the time, saw enough in there to take notice. Butler was recruited to Milwaukee by Williams to play behind Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward, two prominent Golden Eagles players. In his sophomore season, he did not start any games. Butler’s objective was to get minutes, not to get into the NBA.
“Buzz brought me to Marquette and he taught me your confidence, it only comes from your work,” Butler stated. “I worked so hard this summer to get to where I am. I doubt I would be standing here right now if Buzz hadn’t been continually pushing me to be the best.”
Butler progressed at Marquette. After averaging 5.6 points his sophomore year, Butler bumped those figures to 14.7 and 15.7 points in his junior and season seasons. His visible and statistical improvements at Marquette put him on NBA radars. Forman grabbed him with the Bulls’ first-round pick (30th overall).
In Butler’s rookie year, the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, he only played in 42 games with no starts. Butler averaged 8.5 minutes and just 2.6 points.
Butler attributes Luol Deng and Adrian Griffin as two of the individuals who helped him push through a frustrating rookie season. “Luol had a lot do it to tell you the trutҺ, teaching me to be a professional and teaching me the ropes,” he says of the former Bull, whose role as the team’s go-to swingman was essentially handed to Butler.
Griffin, the Bulls assistant coach, worked on Butler’s isolation play. “I beаt him one-on-one a lot my rookie year and he can’t beаt me to this day,” Butler says of the Bulls assistant who he says absorbed Butler’s “unbearable” complaints for more playing time.
Butler had his coming-out party in 2012-13 when a Deng ιnjury allowed the second-year player more playing time. He averaged 8.6 points in 82 games (20 starts) and 26 minutes a game. As time has passed, Butler’s role has widened. He started all 132 regular-season games he played in from 2013-14 to 2014-15. Butler averaged 13.1 points in 2013-14 and 20.0 points (and 5.8 rebounds) in his All-Star 2014-15 campaign.
Regarding Butler’s 2011 draft selection, Forman remarks, “He comes to the Bulls and he continues with the same focus, the same energy.” “[He] goes from being a role player initially to becoming a starter to becoming today, the most improved player in the NBA and an NBA All-Star.”
The Bulls had a plenty of talent when Butler was selected. The MVP honor went to Derrick Rose the season before. Joakim Noah was still growing, and Deng and Carlos Bооzer remained. Butler was never meant to be the one. It would have been absurd to think of Butler as the top scorer on a Bulls team that had a chance to win the NBA four years ago.
But Butler’s basketball career has been marked by fast advancement.
“I felt like at any level I was at, whether it be junior college or Marquette, I didn’t think I was supposed to be there,” Butler stated. “I’m from Tomball, and I managed to get there somehow, with the support of the people I love.” I feel exactly as secure now as I did when I was at Marquette or in junior college. I’ll stay here and keep getting better as long as I keep working.”
Tom Thibodeau, the coach of the Bulls, believes Butler can also improve. “I don’t want to put a lid on it,” he replies. “I doubt any of us have it. We have no idea where it’s headed. All I know is that he has improved significantly each year if you look at his career.”
Even Thibs feels a little bit underdog. Following twenty-one years of serving as an NBA assistant under the tutelage of legendary coaches like Doc Rivers, Jeff Van Gundy, and Jerry Tarkanian, Thibodeau was appointed head coach of Chicago in 2010. Rose’s MVP, an NBA-high 62 victories, and Thibs’ Coach of the Year Award were the highlights of his rookie campaign. However, the last four years have been difficult. The injuries to Rose, Noah, and Deng damaged the Bulls’ prospects of making the playoffs. Bооzer faded, and Deng was moved off by the Bulls. To his surprise, Thibodeau still has a.647 overall victory percentage.
“We wouldn’t be in the position that we are today without him,” adds Thibodeau. “Every task we have given him, he has performed exceptionally well. He was mostly a defensive player when he joined the team, but he has since developed into a fantastic scorer and, most importantly, a winning player. He is extremely efficient and incredibly selfless. He is a strong competitor who guards everyone and scores in a variety of ways.”
Beyond appearances, Williams and Thibodeau have the same capacity to motivate Butler; they both resemble NFL linebackers more than basketball coaches. Butler says he was pushed past his talent love by both of them. Butler has been pushed by his coaches to prioritize his mentаl game above his physical game.
Butler shut off all cable and Internet services in his Houston home last summer. He focused only on his work with trainer Chris Johnson, blocking out everything else in his life—something he had previously mastered despite all of life’s challenges.
“He was the first one who said I’ll make you an All-Star,” said Butler. “Of course, I didn’t believe it.”
Butler’s summertime dedication paid off. Butler has been one of the league’s best players since the beginning of the 2014–15 campaign. Because of that, he was selected as an All-Star and is now the top оffensive (and defensive) option on the Bulls.
“I believe he’s one of the best two-way players in the league today,” adds Thibodeau. “This hasn’t occurred by happenstance. His work ethic and personal qualities are demonstrated by the manner he has conducted himself. He obviously possesses a great deal of talent, which is necessary to get where he is now, but when you mix that with his brains and passion, you get something truly unique.”
Butler’s on-court presence is by no means his only asset, Forman continues. He puts in just as much effort off the court.
Forman states, “Jimmy is a very special person.” “Everyone who has spent time with him knows that he makes an effort to engage with everyone in his immediate vicinity every single day. His willingness to put oneself first before others is quite admirable.”
From a general manager who suffered significant financial losses with Butler this past fall, these are good remarks. Forman attempted to complete a $40 million, four-year contract in October. Butler opted to stake his claim. He is currently vying for $70 million spread over four years. Because Butler is a restricted free agent, the Bulls have the option to match any offer sheet he signs, as both Forman and John Paxson, the team’s vice president of basketball operations, have emphasized.
“Do I feel like I won the bet?” Butler enquired on Thursday. “I predict a tie. I believe that we both prevailed. I believe they are satisfied with my current situation because I performed my duties and fulfilled my obligations.”
Although it is a tactful response, this is untrue. Butler had an All-Star season in a contract year thanks to his quiet confidence. Though it will financially hurt the franchise this summer, it also helped the Bulls go on a title run.
Butler, a native of Texas, says he wants to stay in Chicago even though it is not all in his control. When asked about his future as a Bull, Butler responded bluntly and with a smile.
“To be a Bull [next year], I think so,” he replied. “I believe that here is where I belong. The guys that we have are great to play with. They keep hiring excellent, morally-driven me𝚗 who are suitable for team roles. I’m glad to be here and I adore being here.”
With the Larry O’Brien trophy, he will be even more delighted.
He declared, “I want to help this team win.” “I want to win a title and receive another trophy. It’s the ultimate objective.