Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade was sitting courtside in Kaseya Center before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and he shared an emotional moment with Jimmy Butler.
The two shared an emotional hug before tip-off, as the Heat looks to take the series lead against the Denver Nuggets:
Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler share a hug before Game 3 of Heat-Nuggets 🫂
(via @SportsCenter)pic.twitter.com/XuwRMLaDJ1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 8, 2023
The two go way back to 2013 when 23-year-old Jimmy Butler, then a member of the Chicago Bulls, met Dwyane Wade in the playoffs. That series featured a gritty Bulls team that had a strong core of Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer, while Wade was part of a big three with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Those teams would be bitter rivals for a couple years, with moments of chippiness happening here and there.
And then in 2016, the two would become teammates for one year, with Dwyane Wade returning to his hometown of Chicago to play with Butler, along with Rajon Rondo. It became a controversial year, with drama ranging from criticizing teammates, and losing four straight to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs after starting the series 2-0.
The two would go on to have their own interactions off the court, such as the time Butler commented on a picture of Wade's wife on Instagram, which prompted Wade to threaten him back. The two have since made up and have a close relationship to this day, with Wade praising Jimmy for leading the Heat's historic Finals run:
“Jimmy, he's building his own story,” Wade says. “He's building his own Hall of Fame career. And as someone who's a fan of the game, someone's a fan of his, someone who kind of walks the same track as him. I love to see it. It is great for the game. It's great for [the Miami Heat] obviously.”
Jimmy recently returned the praise with his own, telling how Wade has always been in his corner throughout their history.
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