Name Image Likeness

San Diego State Star Butler Gives Back to Local Community

Final Four hero Lamont Butler uses foundation to donate jerseys to local high school team

Noah Henderson

San Diego State Star Butler Gives Back to Local Community
San Diego State Star Butler Gives Back to Local Community /
In this story:

Last season, San Diego State basketball had their most successful postseason run in program history, making it all the way to the NCAA championship game as a five seed, where they eventually fell to the champion UConn Huskies.

If the 2022-2023 season could be captured in one frame, it would be of Lamont Butler. With 0.8 seconds left on the shot clock, the Aztecs were down one point in their final-four game against now mid-major powerhouse Florida Atlantic. With 0.7 seconds on the clock, standing 17 feet from the hoop, the ball left Butler’s fingertips. With 0.0 on the clock, the score read SDSU 72 – FAU 71.

In that moment, Butler cemented himself as the hero. Winning the 2023 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors, Butler was already lauded in San Diego as an integral piece of a solid Aztec team. After his miraculous buzzer-beater, Butler achieved national notoriety, and in San Diego, he is a folk hero. This status, as well as his clutch shot, will forever live on within March Madness lore.

This year, Butler has utilized avenues recently opened by NIL regulations to leverage his newfound fame. Instead of focusing on himself, Butler uses his reputation to be a positive force in the community and advance his newly chartered organization, The Butler Did It Foundation.

According to their website, The Butler Did It Foundation aims to “empower underserved young men and women between the ages of 7-18 who are passionate about basketball by providing support to enable their participation in team sports. We are committed to breaking down financial barriers and ensuring that no talented athlete is hindered by their economic circumstances.”

On Tuesday, Butler delivered on that mission. The Aztec guard visited San Diego High School to gift the team new jerseys before their home opener against Vista High School.

While originally hailing from Moreno Valley, a city in Riverside, California, Butler embraced his “second-home” of San Diego with this round of philanthropy. Lamont Butler and San Diego have quite a symbiotic relationship. SDSU and the local area have graciously revered the collegiate basketball hero, and Butler does not take that for granted.

In an era where most in his position leverage quick fame to chase money, clout, and lucrative payouts in the transfer portal, Butler recognizes his community. Through the memory of his buzzer-beater, Butler’s work ethic and talent will live on forever in the hearts of Aztec fans – through the actions of The Butler Did It Foundation, his character will be enshrined the same way.

Published
Noah Henderson
NOAH HENDERSON

Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness. 

Home/NIL News