Jimmy Butler is considered, for better or worse, one of the NBA’s most competitive players. It’s part of what’s made him an All-Star talent, but also is one of the reasons he’s on his third team in as many years after requesting a trade from the Timberwolves this past summer.
Few would ever question Butler’s love of basketball — although plenty question the methods he goes about showing that passion — but there was a time when Butler himself wondered if he should find a different career path.
Butler was the guest on the premiere episode of “Take It There with Taylor Rooks” on Bleacher Report, and the Sixers guard discussed a time at Marquette when he considered quitting the game. As Butler explains (at the 5:00 mark of the below video), he was far from home and hated the cold and was close to calling his basketball career to an end.
“I would probably say when I wanted to quit basketball forever when I was at Marquette,” Butler said. “I was like, ‘the basketball thing ain’t for me.’ I wish I had a journal there just to get it all out instead of just talking to myself in the dark. I was like, ‘man, I don’t know what to do, who to talk to, who can relate.'”
“You’re so far away from home. To tell the truth, I didn’t do no research. I didn’t know that it snowed. I didn’t know that it got cold. I didn’t know anything, so I went up there like I was still in Texas — basketball shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops. The one person that did help me was Joe Fulce, we went to Marquette together. So whenever we had a problem we were each other’s coping mechanism. The fact that you just have somebody who listen to you definitely helps.”
It’s good Butler was able to find someone to talk to because his basketball journey just to get to Marquette from junior college deserved to be seen through and led him to NBA stardom. Still, it’s another example of NBA players opening up about their own battles with confidence (even for a player whose entire persona is about his ultra-confidence) and the importance of having a person to talk to. Butler goes on to explain that he’s tried traditional therapy but that isn’t something that necessarily works for him, but notes that it is important to find what works for you, whether it’s journaling, therapy, or just finding people you trust to talk through things with.
