Jimmy Butler's self-confidence is what makes him so special, and it was apparently on full display when he talked to tennis star (and Miami Heat fan) Coco Gauff in April.
No NBA player harbors more self-belief than Jimmy Butler. The dude may be corny, but he really does embody that "Heat Culture" they're always talking about in Miami. He works harder than hard. Then he goes home, plays cards by the pool, blasts Luke Combs, and plans his next savage takedown of the enemy.
Butler has captained the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances in the last four years. Miami entered the 2023 playoffs as the 8-seed, largely written off as sweep fodder for the 1-seed Bucks in the first round. Now here we are, with Butler rejecting the conference finals trophy and waiting to hold "the next one" — the Larry O'Brien.
This has been Butler's goal the whole time: to reach the mountaintop. And, if Heat fan and tennis superstar Coco Gauff is to be believed, Butler has been manifesting Miami's deep postseason run since April.
Jimmy Butler offered Coco Gauff NBA Finals tickets… in April
Think back to April and you will probably remember a Miami Heat team just barely over .500 scrapping its way toward the play-in tournament. The Heat subsequently lost their first play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks, then trailed the Chicago Bulls with three minutes left in the fourth quarter of the second play-in game. The Heat were minutes away from not even making the playoffs.
Before that, however, Butler offered tennis star and fervent Heat supporter Coco Gauff tickets to Miami's regular-season finale in Orlando. "I said 'I won't be there,'" Gauff told reporters. She had other obligations with her own career. Butler's response, with Miami on the postseason fault line with no discernible path to contention?
"OK, when we make the Finals, let me know if your family wants some tickets."
That's legend-making stuff from Butler, who is better than most at backing up his trash talk on the court and his bold predictions off the court. Butler is the guy who told Jrue Holiday he owned him while the Bucks held the lead, only to storm back and steal a Miami victory. He also guaranteed a Game 7 victory in Boston, then proceeded to win Game 7 in Boston.
Butler, the eastern conference finals MVP, is averaging 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on 48.3 percent shooting during Miami's postseason run. The Heat will face the Denver Nuggets on the road in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night. When the series shifts back to Miami for Game 3, however, don't be surprised if Coco Gauff is on the sidelines to offer her support, courtesy of one Jimmy Buckets.