Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has worn the No. 21 jersey throughout his career. Why, then, did he decide to change to the No. 22 when he arrived in South Beach?
Apparently, Butler did so to honor former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Taj Gibson, who wore N0. 22 when the two played together in Chicago and Minnesota:
The mystery of Jimmy Butler's No. 22 in Miami has been solved. He wears it to honor Taj Gibson, his longtime teammate, his vet, in Chicago & Minnesota. Glad he didn't go with No. 67. They should have a nice reunion at the Knicks game. (h/t @IraHeatBeat)
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 12, 2020
Butler explained he wears numbers to honor those who have served as inspirations for him throughout his career, lauding Gibson–who currently plays for the New York Knicks–as one of the teachers in his career (via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel):
“I played with one of the toughest individuals that I’ve ever seen in my life,” Butler explained a video for NBA.com. “That individual is Taj Gibson. He taught me so much about how to be a pro.
“I wear numbers for people who inspire me over the years. Taj is one of those people.”
Butler played with Gibson in Chicago from 2011 to 2017, and then in Minnesota in 2017-18 and the start of last season.
Gibson returned the compliment, calling Butler a “great leader” and saying he was “happy” for his former teammate ahead of Sunday's game between the Heat and Knicks:
“He’s always been capable of having break-out years,” Gibson said in advance of Sunday's game. “He works extremely hard and is a great leader. He’s all about winning.
“They are focusing on winning and doing the right kind of things and the right kind of habits. And I’m happy for him.”
Gibson is averaging a career-low 16.1 minutes per game for the Knicks this season, but he has earned the highest level of respect from Butler, who appears to have carried Gibson's lessons on professionalism and leadership with him to Miami.
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