Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler were only teammates for one year in Chicago, in what was a fairly unremarkable season as the Bulls exited the playoffs in the first round after clawing to the eight seed in the East. Through it all, the veteran and emerging star built a strong bond.
Even in the most tumultuous times of the Bulls’ 2016-17 campaign, Butler and Wade were on the same page. It was those two’s comments to the media calling out the rest of the team’s effort that led to a fracturing of the locker room when Rajon Rondo fired back at them on Instagram. Eventually, the team came back together with Rondo being the key piece to their playoff success and ultimate failure after he got hurt, but through it all Wade and Butler found themselves on the same side of the aisle.
The two were even vacationing together along with Carmelo Anthony when Butler learned he had been traded to the Timberwolves on draft night, as they were locked in a very intense game of spades — of which the result is still disputed — when Butler found out he was headed to Minnesota. While Butler is now with the up-and-coming Timberwolves and Wade is stuck as the lone veteran star remaining on the Bulls’ sinking ship towards a rebuild, the two remain very close.
Wade hosted a camp in New Lenox over the weekend and alongside him was Butler, hanging out and working with the kids. The 3-time NBA champion posted a picture of he and Butler to Instagram, along with a caption noting that their bond developed over the last year wouldn’t be broken just because Butler was no longer in Chicago.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXePwqEAe49/
“I wanna thank my brother Jimmy Butler for keeping his word and coming to my basketball camp in New Lenox. This camp had over 500 kids from all around the world attend and No rumor, no trade, no nothing can come between a bond. That’s what we’ve built. Thanks again 21 Savage and that first dinner in Minnesota will be on you. I hit the half court shot first. Cheater!”
It’s a nice message and Wade was clearly touched that Butler would honor a commitment made likely while they were teammates to pop in to Wade’s camp. The card games won’t be as frequent now that they don’t share a team plane, but you can bet when they have time in the offseason and around the two Bulls-Timberwolves meetings this year, the big joker and little joker will be in play.
