Jimmy Butler's Life Matters

First of all, I will go on the record saying I was NEVER a Jimmy Butler fan.  His behavior in Chicago and Minnesota turned me off quite frankly.  Of course, the media instigated things by portraying him as the player who was always blaming others for losing and not coming across as a team player.

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 

Thank You Lebron James for Fulfilling My Bucket Wish List

You can't grow up in Northeastern Ohio and not be a sports fan.  As a cheerleader in middle and high schools, I came to appreciate and UNDERSTAND the game of football and basketball.  

I remember Marion Motley from the OLD Cleveland (Bulldogs) Browns coming over our house to socialize with my parents.  (He and my mother went to high school together).  I remember  Brian Sipe and the "Kardiac Kids" who always had me on the edge of my seat when they were playing.  I remember how proud I was when my high school classmate Phil Hubbard made his presence known on the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper and Mark Price (the Cavalier's three-point king).

But in all of those years, we never won a championship or even came close.  My saddest memory is the 1987 AFC Championship Game between the Browns and Broncos on January 17, 1988 at Mile High Stadium. With 1:12 left in the game, Browns running back Earnest Byner fumbled on the Broncos 1 yard line while trying to score a touchdown to pull within one point. The Broncos went on to win 38–33 after taking an intentional safety.

Since that time, I've gone through life wishing and hoping that I would see a Championship before I die.  

And then, lo and behold, a saviour named Lebron James came to the Cleveland Cavaliers and gave me hope. I saw his promise when he carried the team to the finals in his first year.  I wasn't one of the fans who went beserk when he left to go to the Miami Heat.  I remained a loyal fan and even told people that once he won a championship there, he would return to Cleveland.  

And he did just that.  And he didn't disappoint.  In his second return year with Cleveland, he carried the team on his back for a World Championship.  And he did it while I happened to be on vacation from work.

I remember telling my husband before the start of game 7 that if Cleveland won, I was going home to be a part of the parade.  I wouldn't dare miss it for the world.  I remember crying hysterically during the final minutes when I knew victory was ours.  I also remember my grandson, who was a Golden State Warriors (Stephon Curry) fan, leaving  a stinging voicemail message about how Cleveland cheated and how they sucked.  I laughed as I thought "He has no idea he's going to Cleveland for the parade with grandma!" 

We drove to Cleveland to be among the estimated 1.8 million others who also wanted to witness history.  And we had a great spot---right in front of course.

So even though Lebron never looked my way when I yelled out his name, we did get high five's from Matt Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert and I fell in love with Josh Cribbs (who I didn't even recognize before the parade).

Thank you Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for making one of my bucket list dreams come true.