Jimmy Butler stuns with new look at Heat media day
Jimmy Butler's offseason didn't go as planned.
After his Miami Heat lost out on the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, is he wearing his emotions ... on his head? The Heat All-Star showed up with an unexpected new look at media day Monday.
"I'm emo," Butler said of his new do. " ... This is my emotional state. "I'm one with my emotions. So this is what you get."
This embedded content is not available in your region.
Butler didn't elaborate much more on his new hairstyle. Nor did he say how long the look would last. He similarly showed up with a new style to last season's media day, sporting what he described as dreadlocks. They didn't survive the season, but lived on in his media headshots. In fact, when ESPN stopped using his media day photo, he kindly requested last season that they continue to do so.
“I don’t think it’s right,” Butler told USA Today last season. “I think I should be able to wear my hair however I want to wear my hair. You’re supposed to be using my media day picture.
“Put my hair back the way that it was because I love that hairdo on me.”
Note to photo editors.
Jimmy Butler has a new look ahead of the 2023-24 season. (Sam Navarro/Getty Images) (Sam Navarro via Getty Images)
As for Lillard, Butler said he was "happy for Dame to be somewhere he is wanted" despite that not being on Butler's Heat team.
"I am happy for Dame to be somewhere he is wanted, where he has a chance to win a championship. I am also happy for Adrian Griffin because to be a first-year head coach and have some guys like you have, good for you," Butler said.
"But you know I am still gonna be me. I am still gonna beat Dame, Giannis and Adrian Griffin on our way to a title like I've said every single year. I mean it this year, like I mean it every other year."
He was asked if he thought the Heat had done enough to build around him to compete for a championship.
“Yeah, we’re straight," Butler said. "Like I always say, I know what I’m capable of. I know what my guys are capable of. So we’ll continue to play basketball as a unit, as a team and somehow some way end up in the Finals.
"This time we’re gonna win it. And y’all will say we got lucky.”
