As he started from the bottom and now ascended as one of the best players in the world, Jimmy Butler appears to have already solidified his career as a future Hall of Famer, but he has no further plans to attend the immortalization that will soon be made to him.
In a sit-down interview with Jared Greenberg of NBA TV, Butler noted that he “could care less” about being a future Hall of Famer and even revealed that he doesn’t intend to attend his enshrinement ceremony.
“Don’t care… Honestly speaking, could care less,” he told Greenberg about what it means to be a Hall of Famer to him. “If we’re being brutally honest, if I was selected to the Hall of Fame, I’m not going.
“I’m not going like the festivities and all of that.”
Per Basketball-Reference, Butler holds a 0.7298 probability of being a Hall of Famer – even owning a margin over the likes of Klay Thompson (0.7021) and Blake Griffin (0.5481).
As such, given that he has six All-Star selections, five All-NBA selections, five All-Defensive Team considerations, and a gold medal as he was a part of the United States’ top finish last 2016 Olympics, he truly has a shot to make it to the cut. At age 33, he still has more time to further elevate his golden case as the leading man of the Miami Heat.
Butler further stated that he is leaning much toward collective success as the Naismith Hall of Fame only honors the individual achievements of a player.
“It’s an individual thing,” he added about the Hall of Fame. “I’m not for the individual type of stuff. I’m really not, I’m a team guy.
“I don’t want to go. I’m not worried about the Hall of Fame. I promise you. It’s a honor it is, but I could care less.”
Winning as a group remains likely for both Butler and the Heat, but it will take a miraculous effort to pull it off as they are trailing a 3-1 series lead by the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. The potential rally starts in Game 5 this Monday.
