“He said some sh**; we lost to our 3rd unit”: Jimmy Butler’s infamous Timberwolves practice detailed by KAT on Paul George’s podcast

Karl-Anthony Towns tells us his side of the story about the infamous practice session when Jimmy Butler reportedly yelled ‘You f***ing need me, you can’t win without me’.

In October 2018, Jimmy Butler, then a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, held a notorious practice session that made headlines across the NBA.

The practice was described as intense and confrontational, with Butler verbally challenging and criticizing his teammates, coaches, and management. He took on the team’s starters with a group of bench players, and won, shouting expletives and taunts throughout the game.

At one point in a scrimmage, sources said, Butler turned to GM Scott Layden and screamed, “You (bleeping) need me. You can’t win without me.” Butler left teammates and coaches largely speechless. He dominated the gym in every way. Jimmy’s back.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 10, 2018

The practice session ended with Butler being escorted out of the facility by security. The incident quickly became a viral sensation, with fans and analysts debating Butler’s behavior and its impact on the team’s chemistry.

Karl-Anthony Towns spills the beans on the infamous Jimmy Butler 3rd-stringer practice

Karl-Anthony Towns was recently a guest with Paul George on the latest Podcast P episode. The Timberwolves star was asked about the gory details of the aforementioned practice session, and he obliged with some details:

“I do remember this. We had practice, we had that game, it was the 4 starters, it was Jimmy, it was his boy from Marquette (Odom) and 3 other guys – I think one of whom ended up being a starter for us.”

“He was passing, I was balling. He got one free throw. I remember we had a moment when we were arguing with each other. He said some s**t, I said some s**t back, I wasn’t going for that.”

“We had our differences but we’ve seen each other at All-Stars and we’ve talked.”

KAT finally shares his side of the infamous Jimmy Butler practice story and their relationship.

Full story on the @KarlTowns episode is PREMIERING NOW: https://t.co/6CGnTpAKJr pic.twitter.com/EOYR919qbb

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) May 8, 2023

“They ended up winning the game. I think they got a last-second shot to go in. So it was like a quick little scrimmage and I remember the whole happening where he’s screaming at the people.”

“We had practice again now, it was all 5 of us. There’s all the starters, you had me, Wigg, Jeff, Taj and Jimmy vs, I think it was the 3rd unit. We lost to the 3rd unit, by like 10 points.”

So there you have it. Not only did Jimmy not contribute much to his win with the 3rd-stringers, he also lost when facing them. Perhaps it was a career night for all of those 3rd unit guys!

The aftermath of Butler’s explosive practice session

Jimmy Butler played around a dozen more games for the Wolves before finally getting traded to Philadelphia. The Sixers ultimately chose Ben Simmons over him despite Butler’s excellent playoff performance as their best player.

Through 4 seasons at Miami, Butler has been past the 2nd round twice now, making the 2020 NBA Finals as well. This incident is fairly in the past, but it’s still a hallmark moment among us rabid NBA fans who’re terminally online.