Jimmy Butler says he’s ‘tough as sh-t’ and that nobody scares him and that is the reason as to why he succeeds in the NBA.
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One of the greatest underdog stories the NBA has ever seen would have to be the rise of Jimmy Butler. Butler went from being practically homeless at the age of 13 to making it to the NBA and now, he has an NBA Finals appearance to add to his resume.
Butler’s rise to superstardom has been chronicled on several occasions. He wasn’t a top recruit by any means. Many sites deemed Butler was not worth ranking as he was unranked going into the NBA draft, amongst his college prospects.
Despite Butler’s shortcomings, the Marquette graduate was picked 30th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Jimmy Butler dishes on his mentality in the NBA
Jimmy Butler has always been one to bet on himself, no matter the circumstances. His confidence in himself has led him up to this point in his career. The point where he can say he’s a 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA, and went toe to toe with LeBron James in the Finals.
When asked about his mindset going into games, Jimmy Butler did not hesistate to let everyone know what his mentality was like. He said, “I’m not a god given talent. I ain’t the best shooter. I’m not the best ball handler or the most athletic.”
He continued on with, “But I battle. I fight. I’m tough as sh’t and I don’t back down. I ain’t scared of nobody. You can’t scare me.”
Jimmy Butler made his NBA debut on this day in 2012.
BEGAN:
— No. 73 player in Texas
— No D-I offers before JuCo
— Faxed acceptance to Marquette from McDonald’s
— Had no idea he was an NBA prospectNOW:
— 5x All-Star
— 3x All-NBA
— 4x All-Defense
— $140M contract @brhoops pic.twitter.com/qrV5Zo4QKV— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 1, 2021
Butler’s hardnosed personality on the court
Butler has said on multiple occasions that all he wants to do on the court is win. He doesn’t care about who’s on the opposing team. This is what led to his exit from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He believed none of the players he was teammates with had mentality strong enough to compete for a title. This is why his fit on the Heat has been working out. ‘Heat Culture’ is exactly what Jimmy needs when it comes to meshing well with his teammates and competing.