Jimmy Butler was born on September 14, 1988, in the outskirts of Houston, Texas. He never knew his biological father, and his mother was not caring for Jimmy. At the age of 13 years old, his mother told him “I don’t like the look of you, you gotta go”. And those were the last ever words exchanged between Jimmy and his Mother.
Rather than becoming a victim, Jimmy decided he would get through life on his own. For years, Jimmy Butler jumped from one friend’s couch to another’s. Finally, in Jimmy’s senior year, he became close friends with a freshman, Jordan Leslie (former NFL player). Jimmy slept a night over at Jordan’s place. A night became a week, a week became a month, and a month became a year. The Leslies provided comfort for Jimmy and guidance through his recruitment process. After a while, Jimmy was able to call the Leslie family his own family.
Throughout his time at Marquette and NBA career, Jimmy Butler remained thankful for the hospitality offered by the Leslie family. When asked about his story, Jimmy Butler told ESPN “Please, I know you’re going to write something. I’m just asking you, don’t write it in a way that makes people feel sorry for me… I hate that. There’s nothing to feel sorry about. I love what happened to me. It made me who I am. I’m grateful for the challenges I’ve faced. Please, don’t make them feel sorry for me.”
Jimmy’s story reveals an immense amount of perseverance and resilience in his character. In any situation, Jimmy will find a way to succeed. No matter how bad his hand is, how tough his situation is, Jimmy Butler will never give up. It reveals that the cards being stacked against him motivates him to work harder than everyone else, giving 110 percent when facing adversity, so in the end he comes out on top.
His hard work has brought him fame and success. Today, Jimmy is known as one of the best basketball players in the world. And though he fell inches short of a championship last season, history tells that when Jimmy Butler gets knocked down, he gets up stronger than he was ever before. DO NOT count out the Jimmy Butler – led Miami Heat for winning the 2020-2021 NBA championship.
Photo: Daniel A. Varela
