Was Latrell Sprewell The Original Jimmy Butler?

Former New York Knicks guard compares Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler to 1990s NBA star Latrell Sprewell

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is often credited as being one of today's best two-way players in the NBA. 

Butler often draws comparisons to a player from the past named Latrell Sprewell, who played 13 seasons with Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves. He helped lead the Warriors to the playoffs once, the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999 and the Timberwolves to their only conference finals in 2004. 

Former Knicks guard Charlie Ward recently said Butler reminded him of Sprewell. He first gained notoriety in the league after he was named first-team All-NBA in 1994. 

He replaced the retired Michael Jordan as the shooting guard. 

Jimmy Butler’s midrange game, tenacity & leadership propelled the Miami Heat as Eastern Conference Champs as an eighth seed.

Who was that equivalent for the Knicks in ‘99?

Charlie Ward explains why both Allan Houston & Latrell Sprewell were New York’s Jimmy Butler in the NBA… https://t.co/LB1boDUVnC pic.twitter.com/oRMHmWrKLf

— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) August 1, 2023

"When I played with Spre, he was the most athletic two guard," former Warriors teammate Chris Webber said on TNT's "Players Locker Room" show. "This was the time Jordan had retired."

Sprewell's career in Golden State took a bad turn when he was suspended 68 by the league for choking coach P.J. Carlesimo during practice at the start of the 1996 season. 

Like Butler, he redeemed himself with the Knicks and Warriors. Butler has done the same while playing for the Heat after being labeled a bad teammate during stops with the Chicago Bulls, Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers. He has since led the Heat to two Finals appearances in the last four seasons. 

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Landon Buford is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at landon.buford@att.net