Ex-Wolves teammate tells great story about infamous Jimmy Butler practice
Jimmy Butler using a bunch of third-stringers to wreak havoc on Minnesota Timberwolves practice is one of the greatest stories of recent NBA lore. Now the story is getting even better.
Ex-NBA guard Jamal Crawford was teammates with Butler on the Wolves. Crawford appeared recently on “Club Shay Shay” with Shannon Sharpe. During the show, Crawford had a hilarious addition to the tale of Butler’s infamous practice incident.
“Jimmy called me,” said Crawford, who was no longer with Minnesota at the time of the incident in 2018. “He said, ‘Man, if you could have been at this practice here.’ They said he came in there, he came to the practice after it got started. They were kinda shocked to see him. I think he was coming off injury or something.
“I’m gonna tell you the coldest part,” Crawford added. “I think he had his Rolex on while he was killing everybody. I think he had a Rolex watch on while he was killing people, picking them apart in practice. Then he walked off. It was classic from what I hear.”
Butler, who was with the Wolves for two seasons, grew unhappy with the culture and direction of the team. His discontent culminated at the practice in question. Butler showed up, sided with a group of reserves, and destroyed the team’s starters, including Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, in a total tour de force. There were some other details about the practice as well that are almost too ridiculous to believe.
Minnesota ultimately traded Butler not long after the outburst. He has since found a home with some like-minded individuals on the Miami Heat. In fact, Butler just led them on a surprise run to the NBA Finals last season. But no matter what he accomplishes from here, the legend of Butler’s mic-drop moment with the Wolves will live on forever.