Warriors' Jimmy Butler gets brutally honest about Heat's tribute video

03/26/2025 02:32 AM

On Tuesday night, the Miami Heat welcomed Jimmy Butler back to Kaseya Center for the first time since they traded him away to the Golden State Warriors in early February. The Heat, after some questions as to whether or not they’d be giving Butler a video tribute on his return, decided to do so, honoring the 35-year-old star and all the success he brought into the team in his five-and-a-half year stint with the team.

Butler, however, while being deeply appreciative of his time with the Heat franchise as he credits it for turning him into the man he is today, did not feel too many emotions during his former team’s heartfelt tribute for him.

“The (tribute) video was nice. I won't say that there's a lot of emotion. I went into this thing level headed and wanted to win the game but it didn't go the way that we planned,” Butler said after the Warriors’ loss, via KNBR on X (formerly Twitter).

"The (tribute) video was nice. I won't say that there's a lot of emotion. I went into this thing level headed and wanted to win the game but it didn't go the way that we planned."

Jimmy Butler on his return to Miami pic.twitter.com/0njlckFLqD

— KNBR (@KNBR) March 26, 2025

The 35-year-old meant business on Tuesday night and certainly did not travel all the way to Miami to make friends. Nonetheless, as much as Butler will deny it, there were surely some strong emotions involved in his return to a place he called home for over half a decade, and even more so in the aftermath of the Warriors’ brutal defeat.

Butler knows the nature of the business, however, and knows better than to give in to sentimentality. He knew that he was going to face a chorus of boos for the way he handled his exit from the Heat. But the 35-year-old veteran is more than content to move on into the next chapter of his career as he and the Warriors look to compete for a championship this season.

Will Jimmy Butler have same impact for the Warriors as he did for the Heat?

The Warriors are definitely hoping that the playoff alter-ego of Jimmy Butler shows up for them later on this season; as one would recall, Butler led the Heat deep into the playoffs all the way to two NBA Finals appearances, even though not too many expected that they can make it that far.

At the very least, there is a bit of evidence that Butler’s presence is indeed transformative for the Warriors. They may be going through some growing pains right now, especially with Stephen Curry nursing a hip injury, but there is reason to be hopeful that Butler can be the same impactful player that he was for the Heat as he will be for the Warriors.

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