Jimmy Butler's Alleged Comments About Being Guarded by White Players Surface, Spark Lots of Reactions

Brian Jones

04/02/2020 12:40 pm EDT

Jimmy Butler is one of the most competitive players in the NBA, but a couple of players had some interesting things to say about his competitive spirit. On a recent episode of The JJ Redick Podcast, Redick and Duncan Robinson were talking about how white players in the NBA are targeted. Redick brought up the time he was matched up against Butler when he was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"I guarded [Butler] on the block and he later told me that he was mad because the Sixers had put a white guy on him," Redick said while laughing. Robinson then added: "He lets me know regularly in practice if we're ever matched up that I can't guard him." After being with the Timberwolves, Butler played with Redick on the 76ers. He then joined Robinson and the Miami Heat this past offseason.

Butler, 30, started his career with the Chicago Bulls. He was drafted by the team No. 30 overall in 2011, and he was with the team until 2017. In his NBA career, Butler has been named an All-Star five times was named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team four times and he was named Most Improved Player in 2015.

Here's a look at fans reacting to Butler's comments.

Debate Begins

Two Twitter users argued that if it was the other way around, it would have been a bigger issue. When it comes down to it, Redick and Robinson were not offended by it, probably because Butler is one of the more outspoken players in the league.

Called Out

One fan believes what Butler did is racism. However, fans who have followed Butler over the years are not surprised by his alleged comments since he's known for not biting his tongue. It will be interesting to see if Butler has anything to say about it.

Question

This fan has a question. There hasn't been too much attention about this, but if Reddick or Robinson said something close to what Butler reportedly said, it would have been a hot topic, according to this Twitter user. For what it's worth, there's currently a lot going on in the world right now, and fans just want basketball to return.

Larry Bird

Larry Bird is arguably one of the best players in NBA history and this fan believes that he would probably say the same thing, despite being white. Odds are Bird didn't care who was guarding him because he was very confident in his skills, which led to him winning three NBA titles in the 1980s.

Facing Other Stars

Butler may not like facing guys like Reddick and Robinson, but this fan believes he has a hard time going up against players like LeBron James and James Harden. What Butler could be saying is he wants to face the team's best player every night, because he's that confident in his ability.

Not a Fan

It's clear this Twitter user is not a Butler fan. Because of how he acts, Butler can rub some people the wrong way. However, when he's focused. He's one of the better defenders in the league, and he has improved his game since entering the league nearly nine years ago.

No Rings

This fan was quick to point out that Butler does not have a championship ring, so he feels like he can't talk about who he wants to guard. Butler hasn't been put in a position to win a title, but he's hoping to change that soon.

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