Jimmy Butler has made some extremely close friends with athletes from other sports. Neymar Jr. is one such prime example. Over the past few months, Butler has also created a special bond with tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz. In the off-season, the Miami Heat Forward has had ample free time to follow Wimbledon closely. During the Final contest of the Gentlemen’s draw, Butler even made a new rule for his friends – drink a shot whenever Alcaraz wins a set.
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Butler met Alcaraz for the first time during the Miami Open earlier in the year. Since meeting the Spaniard, Jimmy G Buckets has showered the World No.1 with some lofty praises. In fact, the 2023 NBA Finalist was even present at Wimbledon for Carlos’ Quarter-Finals clash to display his support after teasing a 4,426-mile journey.
Jimmy Butler makes friends drink shots for every set Carlos Alcaraz won in the Finals
Even though Jimmy Butler was in the midst of his China tour, he made sure to watch all of Alcaraz’s Wimbledon matches. During the Semi-Finals contest, the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player was up till as late as 1:30 AM, supporting the 20-year-old.
With the Finals starting slightly earlier, Butler managed to gather all his friends to watch Alcaraz’s Finals clash against Novak Djokovic during dinner. After the #1 seeded player clinched his first set, the six-time All-Star set a new rule with the aim to get his friends drunk. As seen in The Tennis Letter’s tweet, Jimmy made sure that everybody took a shot whenever the prodigy won a set.
Surviving the first set scare, Alcaraz went on to win the second and third sets before losing the fourth set. With the bout tied at 2 sets apiece, Alcaraz broke Djokovic’s serve midway into the fifth set. Finishing out the contest with some big serves, Alcaraz showed remarkable composure to win the 2023 Wimbledon title.
Butler’s friends from the tennis community
Carlos Alcaraz is just one of many tennis stars that Jimmy Butler is close to. Over the past few years, the two-way NBA star has shared a strong bond with Alexander Zverev. Following Zverev’s fatal injury last year, Jimmy was seen cheering the German during the 2023 French Open as well as the Wimbledon.
Butler is also a huge fan of tennis players from the Women’s Tennis Association. After revealing his admiration for the great Serena Williams, the Marquette alum has been spotted cheering for Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.
