The news of the loss of 13-year NBA veteran Rasual Butler has hit the league and many of its players very hard. Golden State Warriors power forward David West considered Butler to be one of his best friends, as the two were teammates on the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs.
“He was one of my closest friends,” West told reporters on Thursday. “We played four years together in New Orleans and a year in San Antonio and a year in Indy. We were really tight. It’s a tough tragic loss. He was a good dude. He and his wife were good people. Very positive people. It’s just life.”
After West won his first NBA title last year with the Warriors, the first person he invited to accompany him during the championship parade was Butler.
“We celebrated last year winning the championship, he and Leah were on float with me,” West said. “It’s a tough moment for me.”
West said that during the 2017 NBA Finals, Butler really helped keep him focused.
“He was like a sage in my ear,” West said. “He kept up with me … He was in my ear the whole finals. He just wanted to be a part of it. I wanted him to be a part of it. He came up and we had a good time.”
A video of West reflecting on Butler's tragic passing, which was posted by Anthony Slater of The Athletic, can be viewed below:
Rasual Butler, who died in a car crash yesterday, was one of David West's best friends. He was on the title float with him in Oakland last June. West reflects on the tragic news. pic.twitter.com/aFYJyPFvNP
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 1, 2018
The 38-year-old Butler and his wife, R&B singer Leah LaBelle, were killed early Wednesday morning when their Range Rover lost control, flipped over and crashed into a shopping center parking lot.
In an NBA career in which he played for eight teams, Butler averaged 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. His best season came in 2009-10 with the L.A. Clippers when he averaged 11.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in roughly 33.0 minutes of action per contest.
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