Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). People sometimes call him "Jimmy Buckets" because he scores a lot of points.

Jimmy is a very talented player. He has been chosen for the NBA All-Star team six times. He has also been named to the All-NBA Team five times and the NBA All-Defensive Team five times. In 2016, he won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team.

Butler played college basketball for Tyler Junior College and then Marquette University. The Chicago Bulls picked him in the 2011 NBA draft. In 2015, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player. After playing for the Bulls, he joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and then the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2019, he signed with the Miami Heat. He led the Heat to the NBA Finals in his first season with them. In 2021, he led the league in steals. In 2023, he helped the Heat reach the 2023 NBA Finals again. After some changes with the Heat, Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2025.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Jimmy Butler was born in Houston, Texas, on September 14, 1989. When he was 13, he had to leave his home. He moved around, staying with different friends for a few weeks at a time.

Later, he met Jordan Leslie during a summer basketball league. They became good friends. Jimmy then moved in with Jordan's family, who welcomed him with open arms. He felt accepted and loved by them.

At Tomball High School, Jimmy became a strong player. In his junior year, he scored about 10 points per game. As a senior and team captain, he averaged 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. He was named his team's most valuable player. After high school, he decided to go to Tyler Junior College.

College Basketball Journey

After his first year at Tyler Junior College, Jimmy was a top player. He averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. This caught the attention of bigger college basketball programs.

Butler then received a scholarship to play for Marquette University. In his first year at Marquette (2008–09), he averaged 5.6 points per game. By his junior year (2009–10), he became a starter. He averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He even made two game-winning shots that season. In his senior year (2010–11), he continued to improve, averaging 15.7 points per game.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Chicago Bulls (2011–2017)

Starting in the NBA

The Chicago Bulls picked Jimmy Butler as the 30th player in the 2011 NBA draft. In his first season (2011–12), he played in 42 games. The next season (2012–13), he played in all 82 games for the Bulls. He started to play more minutes as the season went on. In April 2013, he scored a career-high 28 points in one game. He also got his first double-double (scoring double digits in two different stats) with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

In the 2013–14 season, Jimmy played a lot of minutes, averaging 38.7 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 26 points against the Memphis Grizzlies. At the end of the season, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. This means he was one of the best defensive players in the league.

Becoming an All-Star Player

Butler playing in a 2015 playoff game

In November 2014, Butler scored 32 points in a game. He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for October/November. In December, he set a new career high with 35 points. In January 2015, he was chosen as an NBA All-Star for the first time.

In April 2015, Jimmy had a great playoff game, scoring 31 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. A few days later, he scored 33 points in another playoff game. In May, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player. He was the first Bulls player to win this award.

In July 2015, Butler signed a new contract with the Bulls. He continued to set new scoring records. In December, he scored 36 points and then 43 points in different games. On January 3, 2016, he broke a team record by scoring 40 points in one half. Two days later, he had 32 points and 10 assists. On January 14, he scored a career-high 53 points against the Philadelphia 76ers. He also had 10 rebounds and 6 assists in that game.

Jimmy had a knee injury in February 2016, which made him miss the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. He returned in March and had his first career triple-double (scoring double digits in three different stats) with 28 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists. He had another triple-double in the last game of the season.

First All-NBA Selection

Butler with the 2016 U.S. Olympic team

In the 2016–17 season, Jimmy continued to play very well. He scored 39 points in November and 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. On December 28, he scored 40 points again, hitting a game-winning shot at the buzzer.

On January 2, 2017, Butler scored 52 points against the Charlotte Hornets. He also had 12 rebounds and 6 assists. A few days later, he scored 42 points. In January, he was named a starter for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. He also recorded two more triple-doubles that season, showing how versatile he is.

Time with Minnesota and Philadelphia (2017–2019)

On June 22, 2017, Jimmy Butler was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his first game with them, he scored 12 points. He had several high-scoring games, including 33 points against the Los Angeles Clippers and 39 points in an overtime win against the Denver Nuggets.

In January 2018, he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve. He scored 38 points in his return to Chicago. In February, he had knee surgery and missed some games. He returned in April to help the Timberwolves in the playoffs.

Before the 2018–19 season, Butler wanted to move to a new team. He played 10 games for Minnesota before being traded. On November 12, 2018, Butler was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored 14 points in his first game with them. In November, he made a game-winning three-pointer against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored a season-high 38 points in December. In the 2019 playoffs, he scored 36 points in a game against the Nets. He also had 30 points and 11 rebounds in a playoff game against the Toronto Raptors. The 76ers lost a very close Game 7 to the Raptors.

Success with the Miami Heat (2019–2025)

Reaching the NBA Finals

On July 6, 2019, Butler joined the Miami Heat. In December, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. He also set a career-high with 18 rebounds in a game, along with 20 points and 11 assists. In January 2020, he was named to his fifth NBA All-Star Game.

In the 2020 playoffs, Butler had an amazing performance. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, he scored a playoff career-high 40 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat went on to reach the NBA Finals, which was Jimmy's first time playing for the championship.

In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Butler had a triple-double with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. He became only the third player in Finals history to have a 40-point triple-double. In Game 5, he had 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals. He was the first player to get those stats in a Finals game. The Heat eventually lost the series, but Butler showed incredible leadership. He led his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks during the Finals.

Leading the League in Steals

In February 2021, Butler recorded his 10th career triple-double. He then made history by getting three triple-doubles in a row, the first Heat player to do so. He also had a game where both he and his teammate Bam Adebayo got triple-doubles. Butler finished the regular season leading the entire league in steals, with 2.1 steals per game.

Top Seed in the East

Butler warming up prior to the 2022 NBA All-Star Game

In August 2021, Butler signed a big contract extension with the Heat. In December, he had a career-high 15 assists in a game. In January 2022, he became the Heat's all-time leader in triple-doubles. In February, he was named an All-Star for the sixth time. The Heat finished the season as the top team in the Eastern Conference.

In the 2022 playoffs, Butler continued to shine. In Game 2 of the first round, he scored a playoff career-high 45 points with no turnovers. He had another 40-point game in the Eastern Conference semifinals. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, he scored 41 points, with 27 in the second half. He also had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. In Game 6, he scored a playoff career-high 47 points to force a Game 7. The Heat lost the series in Game 7, but Butler had an amazing playoff run.

Another Finals Appearance

In November 2022, Butler scored a season-high 35 points. In December, he had a season-high 15 rebounds. On January 10, 2023, he scored 35 points and made all 23 of his free throws, helping the Heat set an NBA record by making all 40 of their free throws in a game. In February, he made a game-winning dunk.

In the 2023 playoffs, the Heat were the eighth seed and faced the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. In Game 1, Butler had 35 points, 11 assists, and 3 steals. In Game 4, he scored a career-high 56 points, setting a Heat playoff record. In Game 5, he scored 42 points, helping the Heat win the series in a big upset. He became the first Heat player to have back-to-back 40-point playoff games.

In the Eastern Conference finals, Butler led the Heat to victory over the Boston Celtics. He was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. The Heat then reached the 2023 NBA Finals for the second time in four years. They lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games.

In the 2023–24 season, Butler continued to play well. He scored 36 points in November 2023, helping the Heat win seven games in a row. In December, he hit a game-winning shot against the Chicago Bulls. He recorded his 16th career triple-double in February 2024. Butler missed the 2024 NBA playoffs due to a knee injury.

Moving to the Golden State Warriors

In November 2024, Butler scored 33 points in an overtime win. In December, he had 35 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game. After some disagreements with the Heat, Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors on February 6, 2025. He signed a new contract with the Warriors and chose to wear "Butler III" on his jersey to honor his father, who passed away in February 2024.

On February 8, he made his Warriors debut, scoring 25 points. On March 10, he recorded his first triple-double with the Warriors, which was his 18th career triple-double. In April, he scored 38 points in a play-in game to help the Warriors secure a playoff spot. In his playoff debut with the Warriors, he had 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.

Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2011–12	Chicago	42	0	8.5	.405	.182	.768	1.3	.3	.3	.1	2.6
2012–13	Chicago	82*	20	26.0	.467	.381	.803	4.0	1.4	1.0	.4	8.6
2013–14	Chicago	67	67	38.7	.397	.283	.769	4.9	2.6	1.9	.5	13.1
2014–15	Chicago	65	65	38.7*	.462	.378	.834	5.8	3.3	1.8	.6	20.0
2015–16	Chicago	67	67	36.9	.454	.312	.832	5.3	4.8	1.6	.6	20.9
2016–17	Chicago	76	75	37.0	.455	.367	.865	6.2	5.5	1.9	.4	23.9
2017–18	Minnesota	59	59	36.7	.474	.350	.854	5.3	4.9	2.0	.4	22.2
2018–19	Minnesota	10	10	36.1	.471	.378	.787	5.2	4.3	2.4	1.0	21.3
2018–19	Philadelphia	55	55	33.2	.461	.338	.868	5.3	4.0	1.8	.5	18.2
2019–20	Miami	58	58	33.8	.455	.244	.834	6.7	6.0	1.8	.6	19.9
2020–21	Miami	52	52	33.6	.497	.245	.863	6.9	7.1	2.1*	.3	21.5
2021–22	Miami	57	57	33.9	.480	.233	.870	5.9	5.5	1.6	.5	21.4
2022–23	Miami	64	64	33.4	.539	.350	.850	5.9	5.3	1.8	.3	22.9
2023–24	Miami	60	60	34.0	.499	.414	.858	5.3	5.0	1.3	.3	20.8
2024–25	Miami	25	25	30.6	.540	.361	.801	5.2	4.8	1.1	.4	17.0
2024–25	Golden State	30	30	32.7	.476	.279	.870	5.5	5.9	1.7	.3	17.9
Career		869	764	33.1	.472	.328	.843	5.3	4.3	1.6	.4	18.3
All-Star		4	1	12.7	.750	.000	—	1.8	1.5	1.8	.0	4.5

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2012	Chicago	3	0	1.3	—	—	—	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
2013	Chicago	12	12	40.8	.435	.405	.818	5.2	2.7	1.3	.5	13.3
2014	Chicago	5	5	43.6	.386	.300	.783	5.2	2.2	1.4	.0	13.6
2015	Chicago	12	12	42.2	.441	.389	.819	5.6	3.2	2.4	.8	22.9
2017	Chicago	6	6	39.8	.426	.261	.809	7.3	4.3	1.7	.8	22.7
2018	Minnesota	5	5	34.0	.444	.471	.833	6.0	4.0	.8	.2	15.8
2019	Philadelphia	12	12	35.1	.451	.267	.875	6.1	5.2	1.4	.6	19.4
2020	Miami	21	21	38.4	.488	.349	.859	6.5	6.0	2.0	.7	22.2
2021	Miami	4	4	38.5	.297	.267	.727	7.5	7.0	1.3	.3	14.5
2022	Miami	17	17	37.0	.506	.338	.841	7.4	4.6	2.1	.6	27.4
2023	Miami	22	22	39.7	.468	.359	.806	6.5	5.9	1.8	.6	26.9
2025	Golden State	11	11	36.1	.447	.306	.800	6.6	5.2	1.3	.3	19.2
Career		130	127	37.8	.459	.344	.827	6.2	4.7	1.7	.5	21.1

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2008–09	Marquette	35	0	19.6	.514	.000	.768	3.9	.7	.5	.5	5.6
2009–10	Marquette	34	34	34.3	.530	.500	.766	6.4	2.0	1.3	.6	14.7
2010–11	Marquette	37	35	34.6	.490	.345	.783	6.1	2.3	1.4	.4	15.7
Career		106	69	29.6	.508	.383	.773	5.5	1.7	1.1	.5	12.0

Life Off the Court

Jimmy Butler enjoys country and emo music. He has even appeared in music videos for artists like Luke Bryan and Fall Out Boy.

During the 2020 NBA Bubble, Jimmy started a small coffee business from his hotel room. He called it "Big Face Coffee" and charged $20 a cup! A year later, he officially launched his own coffee brand. He plans to work more on his coffee business after he retires from basketball.

In 2023, during the NBA playoffs, Jimmy filed a trademark for "Himmy Butler." This nickname came from a popular internet phrase, "he's him," which became popular during the Heat's playoff run. He plans to use the name for clothing and drinks.

Jimmy is also featured in a Netflix documentary series called Starting 5. This series followed him and other NBA stars during the 2023–24 season and playoffs.

Personal Life

Jimmy Butler studied communications at Marquette University.

He has three children with his former girlfriend. He missed the first few games of the 2019–20 NBA season because he was on paternity leave after his first child was born. Jimmy's father passed away in February 2024. Jimmy is a Christian.

He is good friends with actor Mark Wahlberg. They met when Wahlberg was filming a movie in Chicago. They have even vacationed together in Paris.

Jimmy became a fan of soccer after watching Neymar Jr. play for Brazil in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He supports the team Paris Saint Germain and says Neymar is his favorite player.

Jimmy Butler facts for kids

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