Jimmy Butler is known as one of the NBA’s most competitive players, and at times that fire gets him into some trouble. We saw it happen earlier this year with the infamous Timberwolves practice after his trade request that all but sealed his fate in Minnesota, and he’s had other internal spats with teammates in Chicago.
However, nothing has been as costly as when Butler let his competitive nature lead him to talking reckless to All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown while participating in some football training with he and Russell Wilson.
Butler, who joined First We Feast’s “Hot Ones” on Thursday, told the story of how he made an ill-advised $30,000 bet with Brown that’s still outstanding. Butler bet Brown he could keep him from catching a ball in the red zone going 1-on-1 with Wilson at quarterback and unsurprisingly lost. Now, he’s on the hook for some serious cash (you can find this story around the 11:45 mark of the below video).
If you haven’t watched the entire episode, I highly recommend it, because if you struggle with spicy food, watching Butler go through the ringer will likely make you feel better about yourself. He complains about the spice level of the very first wing and it only gets worse from there. To his credit, he powers through to get through all 10 wings.
He tells a lot of stories, but the one we can learn the most from is his bet with Brown. If you ever are competing in anything where the person going against you is a professional, even if you’re an elite athlete yourself, you probably should keep the wagers to a relatively small amount.
