Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Takes Home $200,000 At The Poker Table With Neymar, Ninja

Butler cashed in $200,000 in pots during event billed as "Legends of the Felt"

Scott Salomon

Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Winning big is nothing new for Jimmy Butler, who has a successful career so far playing professional basketball.

That success has transitioned to the poker tables. On Saturday, the Miami Heat star took home two pots of winnings worth $200,000.00.

He played in a tournament called "Legends Of The Felt" at Hustler Casino Live in Los Angeles. The field included Brazilian soccer star Neymar, professional streamer Ninja, boxer Ryan Garcia and professional poker player Dan Blizerian.

Butler cashed in twice on pots worth $120,000 and $80,000 respectively. At one point in the tournament Butler and Garcia went all in on a four-way.

Butler seemed to have a war of words with Garcia and did not care for his dialogue or his antics at the table. Garcia was apparently trying to draw attention to himself and Butler was obviously disturbed by it. However, Butler enjoyed the event nonetheless.

It was the first public appearance for Garcia, who was suspended from fighting for one year due to a positive drug test for performance enhancing drugs that went public last week. As a result, his majority decision over Devin Haney. was overturned.

At the end of the tournament, Garcia gave a shoutout to Haney as a measure to try and secure a rematch.

Hustler Casino said the players were part of the "greatest event in poker history." The event was broadcast on their livestream Saturday night. Ninja also streamed it on his YouTube channel.

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at scottsalomon67@gmail.com

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Scott Salomon
SCOTT SALOMON

Scott Salomon joined FanNation on Sports Illustrated in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins channel. In June he joined Inside the Heat and Back in the Day NBA. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years. Scott has covered and has been credentialed for the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, various Orange Bowls and college football championship games. Scott was also credentialed for the NBA All-Star game and covered the Miami Heat during their first six seasons for USA TODAY. Scott is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott has two sons and his hobbies include watching sports on television and binge watching shows on various streaming services. Twitter: @ScottSalomonNFL