The Miami Heat All-Star is taking his talents to Nashville for an artistic endeavor that’s been a long time coming.
Long hair don’t care, Jimmy Butler owned Miami Heat Media Day with a new look and his usual sense of humor. The six-time All-Star has become one of the league’s most magnetic stars, rising from the ranks of overlooked rookie to the $184M face of the franchise.
While Butler epitomizes Heat Culture, he’s still country to the core.
“I can’t escape it, as much as I want to,” Butler said on the Alo Mind Full Podcast. “Deep down, that’s who I am.”
An Alo ambassador, Butler broke out the brand’s apparel at an interview session that’s since gone viral. When appearing on the holistic health company’s podcast — the second guest, following Ye — Butler broke the news that he’s working on an artistic endeavor.
“I do love country music,” Butler said. “I’m actually working on a country music album now. I go to Nashville on Monday for a day to write a couple more songs.”
You heard that right. A Jimmy Butler country album is coming.
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While Butler grew up in Tomball, TX, his affinity for country music didn’t start at home.
Rather, it’s rooted in his ability to troll.
“My senior year of college, before the game, everybody was listening to Beats by Dre [headphones],” the Marquette alum said. “At that point they weren’t wireless, they had the thick cord and were obnoxiously loud. [Players] wouldn’t put them on their ears so you could hear it. It’d be Lil Wayne coming from one of my teammates, Young Jeezy, Wiz Khalifa…”
Putting his peers on blast for putting their music on blast, Butler wasn’t winning any arguments about how loud his teammates played their personal music — nor how they served as speakers when worn on their shoulders.
So he did what any college student would do, and decided to troll his friends.
“We won the game and after I go home and Google, ‘What’s the most country song there is?’ Three popped up, but the one I saw first was Tim McGraw’s ‘Don’t Take the Girl’ so I downloaded it. I go into the next game, I have my headphones like that, and that’s what I’m blaring.”
As expected, his teammates hated the twangy tunes.
Unexpectedly, Jimmy liked it.
“I actually started to listen to the lyrics in the song and I was like, ‘Wow! Poor guy!’ Then it just took off. I’m a huge fan.”
Since his senior season, Jimmy’s kept country music in his rotation through his All-Star ascent. On Instagram, he shares his favorite songs through screenshots while also attending country concerts and documenting his experiences.
“I’ve come to find out that country music artists are so selfless,” he said. “They always make sure that you’re good and you’re okay. I’ll show up with like nine people to a Luke Bryan show and Luke won’t go on stage until he’s like, ‘Hey! Make sure Jimmy and his people have a beer!’
“I really love that perspective about so many of those individuals in that country music world.”
Butler showcases that same spirit for others.
Whether buying the whole Heat team hoops during the pandemic or giving back to communities in Africa through his Alo partnership and Big Face Coffee company, Jimmy’s drive isn’t all about Jimmy. Though fans know Butler’s favorite songs through his social accounts, one has to wonder just what his project will sound like. His Hootie & the Blowfish cover currently soundtracks Michelob Ultra commercials, though it’s unclear just when his album will release.
What is certain is that it will be uniquely Jimmy.
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