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ESPN Analyst ‘Embarrassed’ by How Heat Fans Treated Jimmy Butler During Miami Return

Andy Nesbitt

Jimmy Butler faced his old team in Miami for the first time Tuesday night.
Jimmy Butler faced his old team in Miami for the first time Tuesday night. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Jimmy Butler made his first return to Miami on Tuesday night since being traded last month to the Golden State Warriors. The 35-year-old guard spent over six seasons with the Heat and led them to two NBA Finals, but his departure was an ugly one that saw him get suspended by the team before eventually being sent to the Bay Area.

Butler had a rough night in his return, scoring just 11 points in an ugly 112–86 loss. But he did hear some cheers from fans, which left one ESPN analyst "embarrassed" by their actions

Bobby Marks went off on the fans during Wednesday morning's Get Up:

"I was embarrassed watching that and looking at what the Heat fans did," Marks said. "To give a man who quit on you, he quit on them in the middle of the year. He quit on them because he didn’t get paid by the Miami Heat. And I know he took you to two NBA Finals and everything he did great for you. But to give that man a standing ovation, even if it was 50% of that, that bothered me dearly.”

Here are his full comments:

Butler's new team is now 41–31 and sits in the sixth spot in the Western Conference.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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