BUT THAT WAS THEN........
Today, I applaud Jimmy for being an instigator in the NBA. Prior to the start of the Miami Heat's Re-Start tip-off against the Denver Nuggets, Butler walked onto the court in his Miami Heat Jersey without anything written on the back of his jersey. Once someone noticed it, he was forced to change.
Now, prior to going into the "Bubble," the NBA Players Association (headed by Chris Paul) negotiated with NBA officials on options to make a statement, on each team member's jersey, using predesignated names and phrases associated with Social Justice and Inequality:
Black Lives Matter
Say Their Names
Vote
I Can't Breathe
Equality
Respect Us
Or, like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Butler could've just had his own last name and number on the back. But Jimmy, being the seemingly defiant young man portrayed by the media, chose to be nameless saying, "If I wasn't who I was today, I'm no different than anybody else of color. And I want that to be my message, in the sense that just because I'm an NBA player, everybody has the same right no matter what."
And you know what? He's absolutely right! My guess is the average basketball fan wouldn't recognize an NBA player if they were just walking down the street in regular clothes. Of course, LeBron, Anthony Davis and James Harden (Fear the beard) would probably stand out but out of the more than 400 NBA players, the overwhelming majority are unrecognized. How do I know? Well, let's take Thabo Sefolosha for example. In 2015 when he played for the Atlanta Hawks, he happened to be outside of a New York City nightclub where another NBA player had been stabbed. As a result of an altercation with police, the 6 foot 7 guard suffered a fractured fibula and ligament damage. He ended up being charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration but those charges were DROPPED and he later settled a lawsuit with the police for $4 million.
Then we have Sterling Brown. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. In January 2018 he was leaving a Walgreens when a white police officer approached him about his car being parked illegally. Not long afterwards several more officers show up on the scene and the situation escalated when Brown put his hands in his pocket. The officers rushed him, tackled and kneeled on his neck and then tasered him. It was only after his body was semi-lifeless that an officer recognized him as being a basketball player for his hometown team.
Then there's Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards who had his own encounter with a police officer while driving on I-495 in the Washington DC area. The way Beal describes it is he was pulled over because the tint on his windows were too dark. The officer made him, his wife and a friend step out of the car so he could search it. Beal asked if he could put the hood of his car up so he wouldn't be recognized by people passing by. The officer asked him who he was, at which time Beal says he told him his name and that he played for the Washington Wizards. The officer then asked Beal how much money he made and Beal is quoted as saying, "Officer I don't want to be a smartass but I think I make more than you per year." The officer then reportedly threatened to arrest him and make him the headline on ESPN's SportsCenter.
And countless others, like former Chicago Bulls player, Jason Williams, have been stopped numerous times by police just for driving while black with a fancy car.
Jimmy Butler attempted to make a powerful statement about how some white Americans treat NBA players when they're not on the basketball court. As long as "Jimmy Buckets" is leading his team to victory he is loved and adored but the minute he takes off that uniform and goes about his daily life, he's just another n****. He clearly recognizes that just as we all do.
Jimmy Butler, your life DOES matter!
I
