Inside The Heat

Popular NBA Parody Account Trolls Jimmy Butler-Miami Heat Trade Rumors

Jake Elman

Dec 7, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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New York Mets owner Steve Cohen said it best when he called Twitter a “minefield.”

It’s never been easier for a post to go viral and, in plenty of cases, mislead its audience into thinking something fake is actually real.

Popular NBA parody account NBACentel is no stranger to poking fun at the sport’s latest ongoings. On Wednesday night, It was time to mock Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, among others involved in the latest round of trade speculation.

In case you’ve spent the last couple of days living under a rock or stuck in Florida-in-December traffic: Charania reported Tuesday that the Heat are open to listening to trade offers on Butler, who hits unrestricted free agency next summer. Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, fired back at Charania on Wednesday night and questioned his integrity.

Enter @TheNBACentel, who posted a press release on X (formerly Twitter) the Heat—and specifically, team president Pat Riley—supposedly issued. 

“Statements made regarding the position we have with Jimmy Butler are completely false,” the statement begins. “Some of these rumors have sparked many fraudulent accusations in our front office.”

This sounds like a legitimate press release so far. Where’s the joke?

“A notable reporter, known as Shams Charania, has posted incorrect information surrounding Jimmy,” the statement continues. 

Oh, no.

“Don’t believe anything his lying a-- says until it’s actually confirmed,” the last line of the release reads.

Yikes.

On the one hand, posts like these are intended to be good fun. A quick scroll down TheNBACentel’s timeline shows similar posts mostly following the same formula: a fake quote “via” a reputable source like ESPN or TNT. 

As of publication, the post had nearly 245,000 views. The mentions are unsurprisingly full of people who believed Riley’s “statement” was a legitimate press release. 

We’ll see how much longer accounts like this exist—at least, on X. If Elon Musk moves to ban TheNBACentel in 2025, perhaps the account will head to an alternative like Bluesky or Threads.

MORE BUTLER COVERAGE

Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler Open To Joining Rebuilding Eastern Conference Team

Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler Vaguely Addresses Latest Trade Rumors

Proposed Trade Sends Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler To Rising Contender

Heat Could Part With Jimmy Butler In Favor Of Warriors' Forward Duo In Blockbuster Trade

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.

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Jake Elman
JAKE ELMAN

Jake Elman is a veteran sports journalist and graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s journalism program. In recent years, he has covered the NFL for EndGame360 and served as the sports content lead for ExpressVPN. He also covered the Lane Kiffin years at FAU for the Palm Beach Post.