Nikola Jokic is a pretty easygoing guy. The Denver Nuggets superstar is actually one of the funniest dudes in the NBA at the moment. However, in November of 2021, we all saw his dark side after he got involved in a now-infamous altercation with then-Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris.
For those that require context, Jokic took exception to a body check foul from Morris during a game, and the Nuggets big man ended up forcefully shoving Morris from behind. This actually led to a neck injury for Morris, who would then be forced to miss a multitude of games because of the knock:
Unsurprisingly, Jimmy Butler and the rest of the Heat were incensed by Jokic's actions. So much so that a photo of the Miami players supposedly waiting for Jokic in the tunnel after the game went completely viral.
Heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Butler was asked if there are “any hard feelings that linger” from that incident. The Heat talisman decided to play it down, though, but he did drop a truth bomb on the high-profile altercation:
“I don't think so,” Butler responded when asked if the previous incident might have any impact on the Finals. “… I don't think it has too much to do with anything. It's in the past. … But I will say I wasn't talking to Jokic. That wasn't my beef, so make sure you write that. The individual who I was talking to definitely knew who I was talking to.”
Apparently, it wasn't Jokic that Jimmy Butler had an issue with. A lot of other players got involved during that incident, and surely, some harsh words were exchanged between the teams. Butler seems to have taken exception to one particular Nuggets player's actions during the scuffle, and this was what resulted in Jimmy's “beef.” Butler did not name who this opposing player was, but with this revelation, perhaps we can determine that it wasn't actually Jokic the Heat players were waiting for in that infamous tunnel photo.