Weeks After Seemingly ‘Trying to Lure’ Damian Lillard to the Heat, Jimmy Butler Makes an Incredible Backwards ‘Granny Shot’ While on Tour

Jimmy Butler agreed to a multiyear signature shoe contract with Li-Ning in 2020. Butler joined the likes of Dwyane Wade and CJ McCollum to be associated with the Chinese brand. The 33-year-old was seen wearing the JB1 sneakers over the course of the 2022-2023 season, leaving fans impressed and with this incredible ‘granny shot’ of his, safe to say fans are continually impressed with the Heat superstar.

Last month, Jimmy began his Li-Ning Tour in China. Over the course of the next few weeks, Butler kept giving us updates from the Tour on his Instagram stories. During the final days of his Tour, he got in a no-look shots battle with a few fans. As seen in the video posted by Bleacher Report, Butler casually knocked down a backward granny shot. To be fair, keeping the distance from the basket in mind, the shot is far more difficult than Butler makes it seem.

This wasn’t the only notable shot he made during this tour of his. During his time in Asia, the 2023 ECF Most Valuable Player was seen playing one-on-one with a lucky fan. After knocking down a wide-open three-point shot, the two-way Forward mimicked Lillard’s iconic celebration from the 2019 playoffs.

From the food and the culture to the fan interactions, Jimmy clearly had a blast during his time in China. With him being a legitimate star in the NBA, Jimmy will certainly be on more tours around China as a staple in Li-Ning’s lineup of basketball icons.

How will the Heat fare in the 2023-2024 campaign?

The Miami Heat made an unexpected run to the NBA Finals this past postseason. If the Florida side were to acquire Damian Lillard to their roster, the Heat would certainly become one of the best teams in the league. With the Boston Celtics becoming a stronger squad, Lillard’s addition will allow Erik Spoelstra’s boys to be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.

If Dame isn’t acquired this offseason, Butler would still have the majority of the team’s offensive load on his shoulders. The Miami Heat have lost Victor Oladipo, Max Struss, Gabe Vincent, and a few other rotational players this summer. Considering how deadly the Celtics and the Bucks’ lineups look, the Heat might struggle to finish with a top seed.