Homeless to NBA All-Star - The story of Jimmy Butler

By Catherine Salaün from Mandelieu, France / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Jimmy Butler grew up in a small town right outside of Houston Texas called Tomball.

At an early age, Jimmy found a love for football but because of the Houston heat during the seasons, Butler quickly shifted his love towards basketball.

Growing up, Jimmy did not have much family guidance since his father was not around. At just 13 years old, his mother kicked him out of the house forcing Jimmy into homelessness. In the words of Jimmy’s mother, “I didn’t like the look of him. He had to go.”

Throughout his high school years, he was moving house to house living off friends’ couches until his Senior year where he befriended basketball teammate Jordan Leslie.

Jimmy Butler began staying at the Leslie household more often and shortly thereafter, was taken in by the Leslie family permanently. Butler finally found a home and a family that was constantly there for him.

Now coming out of high school the tough journey continued for Butler. He was a low-ranked 2-star recruit getting no looks from colleges and he ended up attending Tyler Junior College.

But, his willingness to face adversity and work even harder through the hardships is what made Jimmy a soon-to-be star.

After displaying stellar performances at Tyler Junior College, he went on to play Division-1 basketball at Marquette University where he began making a name for himself.

Butler was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the last pick in the 1st round and had to continue proving his worth to crack the starting lineup, which he had finally done so in his second season.

Photo Courtesy ~ Joe Glorioso / @JoeGlo1 / @HoopDistrictDC

Having breakout years in his 2nd and 3rd seasons in the NBA, Butler placed his mark in the basketball world in his 4th season after becoming a first-time all-star

Through Jimmy Butler’s superstar work ethic and his gritty style of play, he has solidified himself as a 5-time all-star and a bonafide superstar in this league.

Let Butler’s story be an inspiration to all the kids in the world that if you have a dream, fighting through adversity, hard work, and a “never say die” attitude will get you to where you want to be.