Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, took a stand to stop Shams Charania from spreading misinformation regarding his client’s trade news. Over the past few days, Lee and Charania have engaged in a public back-and-forth on social media. Today Butler was asked to comment about the public entanglement between his agent and Shams.
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Butler showed admiration for his agent for standing up for him. However, before showing love to Lee, Jimmy admitted that he was enjoying the quarrel between the two.
“I f***ing love it. I love it. I am all for the back and forth. I mean, before he’s my agent, I guess we’re like brothers now, we do everything together. But I feel for him and at least somebody is sticking up for me,” Butler told the reporters in a press conference after leading the Heat to a 114-104 victory over the Raptors.
Jimmy Butler on his agent Bernie Lee going back and forth with Shams Charania. #HeatNation
“I f***ing love it, I’m all for the back and forth…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/JD5zGOR4NT
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 13, 2024
This disagreement between Lee and Charania originated from a “breaking news” that the latter reported on his social media.
According to the NBA insider, Lee indicated that Butler was in search of a new team and revealed the preferred destinations to be Dallas, Houston, or Golden State.
The Phoenix Suns are another team that Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that the six-time All-Star is open to as a destination while Miami listens to trade offers, sources tell ESPN, joining Dallas, Houston and Golden State. pic.twitter.com/QCXA2uEMXt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2024
Charania has been a leader in his field for nearly a decade, with a track record of highly accurate reporting. However, this instance marked a rare occurrence of imprecision. In a series of tweets, Bernie Lee denounced the report by calling it “utter made-up bullsh*t” and accusing Charania of attaching his name to the story without any justification.
This prompted the ESPN personnel to save his image. Charania defended himself during an appearance on a show, standing by his report and reassuring viewers that he was telling the truth.
“I 1000% stand by my reporting. It’s fully vetted. And as a professional, that’s what I do, that’s what I get paid to do… report truthfully and accurately. That’s what this is. Period,” Charania firmly said.