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For the first time since being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, Jimmy Butler will return to Minneapolis to face his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The former All-Star heavily criticized his teammates, particularly Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins, during his time with the Wolves. Butler was then shipped to Philly in November.
When asked by the New York Times‘ Marc Stein about his expectations in his return to Minnesota, Butler said he's expecting fans to boo him.
“They’re going to boo me. I would boo me, too. I’m not going to lie to you. I would boo the heck out of myself. I might actually join in on the boos,”
Butler understands the nature of the game, especially how fans react whenever one of their team's key players requests for a trade and leaves the team.
“It’s O.K. It’s fine. I don’t need everybody to like me. I know who I am. I can’t say that enough. I know what I’m about. I know where my heart is. People will say, ‘He’s this way or he’s that way,’ but nobody knows except for the people around me every day. Ask them and they’ll tell you differently.”
Butler is now one of the key pieces in the Sixers' title aspirations, and although he has to defer to teammates Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris at times, the 29 year-old forward said he's comfortable with his role because having All-Star caliber teammates takes the pressure off of him.
Right now, Butler likes the idea of playing the villain.
