National Basketball Association

Jimmy Butler says he won't attend HOF ceremony if inducted

Published Jun. 12, 2023 9:19 p.m. ET

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Jimmy Butler is the epitome of humble confidence. 

Despite being known for elevating his game during the postseason, the man known as "Playoff Jimmy" has been adamant that there is no substance behind the moniker. 

"This Playoff Jimmy narrative is not a thing," Butler said earlier in the postseason. "I just want to win."

In fact, Butler is so hellbent on his team winning, he wouldn't even be moved by the ultimate individual award: induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. 

"I don't care [about being a Hall of Famer]," Butler told NBA TV prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals Monday. "Honestly speaking, [couldn't] care less. If we're being brutally honest, if I was selected to the Hall of Fame, I'm not going. I'm not going to festivities and all of that. I just want to … go put my feet in the sand somewhere.

"It's an individual thing. I'm not for the individual type stuff. I'm like a team guy. … I'm not worried about the Hall of Fame, I promise you. It's an honor, it is. But I [couldn't] care less. I mean that, too."

It was a shocking revelation from a man who has built a lengthy résumé of special moments. Butler, whose eighth-seeded Heat stunned the top-seeded Bucks before downing the second-seeded Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, has powered the Heat with 27.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game during these playoffs. That includes going for 56 and 42 in consecutive games against Milwaukee. 

The Heat will need more of Butler's magic if they're going to overcome their current 3-1 deficit to the Nuggets in the Finals. That would signify the completion of basketball's greatest team accomplishment, and could be just what Butler needs to solidify his Hall of Fame case.

"Playoff Jimmy" has made it clear that he's most interested in the former.

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