LeBron James And Kevin Garnett Praise Jimmy Butler In Documentary

Jimmy Butler remembers his early days in the NBA when he was raised to despise the Miami Heat.

Oct 8, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) with a dunk against the Charlotte Hornets during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

LeBron James and Kevin Garnett remember when Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler entered the NBA from Marquette.

The two stars discussed Butler's early career on the Netflix documentary, "Starting 5".

James and Garnett both had tremendous praise for Butler when he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls.

"Like Jimmy Buckets, when he stepped into the league from Marquette, you can't step on the floor with Jimmy and not be ready to go," James said. "He'd dog you."

Garnett also speaks highly of Butler.

"Jimmy is a f**king dog," Garnett said. "That's him. That's his DNA. That's what he's known for. I respect Jimmy. Real sh*t. In Jimmy we trust."

Butler fondly remembers those days in Chicago. The Bulls could never beat the Heat. There was a spirited hatred between the two Eastern Conference rivals.

"The team that I was drafted by, the Chicago Bulls, could never beat LeBron or the Miami Heat," Butler said. "so it gave me an opportunity to like make my name, and need to find a way to beat the Heat."

Butler said he despised the Heat so much, he and his Bulls teammates could not even stomach the word Heat, or anything which rhymed with it.

"When I came into the league early on, you hate the Heat, you hate LeBron," Butler said. "You hate any word that rhymes with Heat. You hate feet."

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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