Jimmy Butler | Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Pat Riley, the legend of the National Basketball Association (NBA), president of the Miami Heat, has criticized the statements of his team player Jimmy Butler about the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
It has already been announced that the “Heat”, which entered the top eight through the “play-in” tournament, lost 1-4 to the Boston “Celtics” represented by Kristaps Porzingis in the first round of the elimination tournament.
Butler himself did not play in the series due to injury, but he attended a party after the season ended, during which he recorded a video saying that the Celtics and New York Knicks teams would already be on vacation if he had played. Butler also made disparaging comments about Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“Heat” president Riley was also surprised by such statements of the player. “When I heard that, I thought – is Jimmy joking or is he serious? If you’re not on the court and you’re not playing against Boston or New York, then you should keep your mouth shut criticizing those teams,” Riley was harsh.
Butler will play 60 games in 2023/2024. excelled in the season with 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists. The 34-year-old still has two more years under his contract, but Butler can become a free agent after next season as he can opt out of the final year of his $52 million contract. The president of the “Heat” revealed that the team, despite the risk of losing Butler, does not plan to trade him this summer, but negotiations on a potential contract extension have not yet started either.
Heat star: If I played against the Celtics, they’d be on vacation by now
