Country star Luke Bryan may be best known for his songs and ability to draw massive crowds, but he also enjoys playing pranks on his friends. He recently proved this when he messed with Jimmy Butler and Meyers Leonard of the Miami Heat. Bryan used their family’s pet turkey, which he named Juanita, to scare the duo.
As explained on Instagram, the country star was set to cook dinner for both basketball players while meeting their specific dietary requirements. Butler wasn’t eating meat while Leonard wanted turkey. To mess with the pair, Bryan asked for help getting the turkey, which is when he released Juanita so she could run around.
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“Something wrong with y’all. You know that right?” Butler said after running away from the situation. The Heat star also claimed that Bryan’s children had set him up for the prank despite them saying that they are friends with him.
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Bryan’s wife, Caroline, was well aware that there could be some complaints about their treatment of Juanita. She pre-emptively responded to potential criticism by saying that the pet turkey had only been in the cardboard box for 20 seconds and that she was a beloved member of the family.
While this may have seemed like an odd pairing, Butler is actually a country fan. He appeared in one of Bryan’s music videos back in 2017. He and Leonard were also on hand to spend time with the country star prior to the Heat’s game with the Memphis Grizzlies.
With a free day on Sunday, the two NBA stars spent time with Bryan’s family, shooting arrows at a target at the end of the driveway. Leonard didn’t actively participate given that he requires a special bow, but he did want to help Butler grow more comfortable with archery.
“It was about getting Jimmy over the fear of shooting it,” Leonard said, per the Sun Sentinel. “To somebody who hasn’t [shot a compound bow] for that many years of their life, it can be a little bit intimidating.”
As videos on Instagram showed, the Miami Heat players enjoyed their time at Bryan’s home and the activities from that Sunday. Although Butler did seem to be less appreciative of the meal that the country star did provide for him.
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