I have to give it to him for his openness and honesty here. Lots of guys wouldn't have said this.
Despite his obstacles of growing up as a homeless boy, Jimmy Butler has become not only a great basketball player but a mature man of honesty, love, and integrity. This is a short narration of Jimmy Butler's upbringing and the transition from going from a promising rookie to one of the most competitive and complete All-Stars in the 2014-15 season.
"His story is one of the most remarkable I've seen in all my years of basketball. There were so many times in his life where he was set up to fail. Every time, he overcame just enormous odds. When you talk to him — and he's hesitant to talk about his life — you just have this feeling that this kid has greatness in him." - Anonymous NBA GM
Butler's story via ESPN:
Butler's father abandoned the family when he was an infant. By the time he was 13 years old and living in the Houston suburb of Tomball, his mother kicked him out of the house. As Butler remembered it in a 2011 interview, she told him, "I don't like the look of you. You gotta go." He then bounced between the homes of various friends, staying for a few weeks at a time before moving to another house.
In a summer basketball league before his senior year at Tomball High School, he was noticed by Jordan Leslie, a freshman football and basketball player at the school, who challenged him to a three-point shooting contest. The two immediately became friends, and Butler began staying at Leslie's house. Although his friend's mother and stepfather, who had six other children between them, were reluctant at first, they took him in within a few months. Butler would later say, "They accepted me into their family. And it wasn't because of basketball. She [Michelle Lambert, Leslie's mother] was just very loving. She just did stuff like that. I couldn't believe it."
Again, to Thibs's credit, he had Hinrich on the court for the bare minimum. Someone has to play backup PG minutes, and it really isn't E'Twaun Moore, though Thibs used Moore and not Kirk for late defensive subs. If Hinrich's so hurt he's doing this, just sign another PG already.
Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah talk about friends they've lost to violence in this video produced by Jo. Taj. Man.