Jimmy Butler's playoff legend continues to grow with the Miami Heat. He recently added to his exceptional playoff lore with a thorough decimation of the Milwaukee Bucks despite entering the NBA playoffs as the eight seed. Even then, before he became one of the most feared postseason performers in the league, he was already staking his claim as one of the most driven players in the Association.
Back in 2018 when Jimmy Butler was still with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the star forward infamously led the Timberwolves' third-stringers comprised mostly of G-Leaguers to a scrimmage victory over the starters, led by the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague. While that's crazy enough on the surface, it becomes an even funnier story from the perspective of someone who saw everything unfold firsthand.
Speaking on the Club 520 podcast, Teague fondly recollected being a part of what he called one of the most iconic moments he has ever been a part of in his playing career.
“Time ran out. They beat us like 18-6. Jimmy was going crazy. ‘Y'all think that team can win without me? I'm him. Play me. Play me.' Mind you, he ain't taken off his Jordan warmup [shirt] yet. He finally takes it off. He got the Timberwolves shirt on where he cut the Minnesota out. He cut the Minnesota out the shorts [as well]. He out here in with a hole in the middle of his shirt and the middle of his [shorts]. I'm crying now. I'm like, ‘Bro crazy,'” Teague said.
Jimmy Butler been the 🐐
Story time with Teague >>> pic.twitter.com/PBuNBZgNAa— SBWells (@wellssssssssss) April 27, 2023
Jeff Teague then recounted how Jimmy Butler, after destroying the starters, did not give them a chance to redeem themselves. Butler immediately went home from practice and conducted an interview with Rachel Nichols, who was with ESPN at the time, much to the befuddlement of the Timberwolves' locker room.
“We had practice for another hour. We go into the locker room. ESPN popped up. Rachel Nichols and Jimmy Butler on TV. We're like, ‘What the?' He's like, ‘Yeah, I just killed them at practice. I think they're all good players.' We're like, ‘What? Hold on.' I can't make this up. He came and killed us and did an interview at home,” Teague recalled, laughing.
At the time, it definitely could not have been funny for Teague and the Timberwolves, as this eventually led to Jimmy Butler's trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. But these are the kinds of stories that prove that the Heat are in safe hands in the playoffs with someone as competitive as Butler leading the way.
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