Hello friends of the Sportstalk community, I hope you are well. Today I wanted to share with you one of the most impressive self-improvement stories I've seen, it's about Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who currently represents one of the most important figures in the league leading one of the main teams contending for the title, Maybe when talking about Jimmy you would think that he has his life solved and he doesn't have to worry about money or material things, he currently has a contract signed in the 21/22 season for 140 million dollars in 4 years, clearly he is a successful person and with a bright future ahead of him with only 32 years old he still has gas in the tank to continue playing in the highest level of performance. Despite all this, life has not always smiled on the Heat player.

SOURCE

Jimmy Buttler was born in Houston Texas on September 14, 1989, his father left his family when he was still an infant however he had grown up with his mother who was raising him alone, but at the age of 13 Buttler was kicked out of his mother's house because his mother did not like the behavior and appearance Jimmy was projecting, At that time Jimmy was living in Tomball, a suburb about 40 minutes away from Houston, his mother threw him out of the house and being far away from the rest of his family Jimmy had to manage to survive alone, without family and without money in his pockets. Buttler had to manage by himself from a very young age, to sleep he would ask for shelter at his school friends' house, he had to move every couple of weeks and jump from one place to another.

SOURCE

Butler decided to start playing Basketball in high school and it was here where he shared team with who later would be his soul friend Jordan Leslie, Jordan was also a professional athlete, he was a receiver and his first team was the Minnesota Vikings, Leslie had a much more modest career than his friend Jimmy. Jimmy and Jordan's friendship grew a lot in high school, Jordan seeing the difficult situation that his friend was going through decided to invite him home and here things would change for Jimmy, Jordan's family would decide to give him a home and adopt Jimmy Buttler. Jordan's family was a middle class family that already had 7 children, however the family decided to welcome a new member in spite of the economic responsibility that a new child implies.

Butler overnight had seen his life take a turn for the better and he began to have people in his life to help him accomplish his goals and purposes, Jimmy from that moment on became a member of the Lambert family. In the Lambert household Jimmy stood out as a boy who obeyed and followed the rules perfectly, a trait that he would later transfer to the court, Brad Ball his coach at Tomball his High School team stated in 2013 for ESPN "Of all the kids I've ever coached in my life, none spent more time in the gym or watching games with me than Jimmy Butler", this would be the first time Buttler would be praised for his commitment and discipline but certainly not the only one, each and every successive coach, anyone in fact who had any closeness to his habits, would find nothing but amazement in what they saw.

SOURCE
Tomball's high school retiring Jimmy Butler's number

Jimmy was not an outstanding high school player, in fact he chose to attend the modest Tyler Junior College in Tyler Texas, in his first year here he had some interesting performances that made several NCAA Division I teams interested in Buttler. Buzz Williams coach of Marquette University saw in Jimmy very good conditions so he decided to offer him to play for Marquette, in an interview years later Buzz stated "Jimmy was special because he had dreamed of it, he hadn't even been in a position to dream of something like that" Buttler was just another average player, however as Buzz Williams would state "Nobody ever worked and trained harder than him and I'm sure nobody saw as many games with me as he did" Jimmy would improve for his second and third season and through his coach Buzz who took it upon himself to talk to several NBA teams Jimmy decided to go to the 2011 Draft and was taken by the Bulls at number 30.

SOURCE

SOURCE

Officially Jimmy's life had changed, a first round draft pick is the dream of any NCAA player, Butler spent his first years faithful to his philosophy of discipline and hard work, however Jimmy himself in an interview recalls the turning point that made him improve and change, It was the year 2013 and with 2 years in the league when his coach at that time Tom Thibodeau in a conversation said a phrase that left Jimmy perplexed the coach said "Do you know how many guys chosen in the No. 30 spot in the draft do not reach a second contract in this league? Jimmy says that this phrase marked him and recalls that at first he was upset, "It made me feel like I had very little left in the NBA. But, of course, at the same time, it motivated me," he recalled in an interview with ESPN. Jimmy immediately set to work to show his coach that he was wrong about him. And he didn't stop working. He ate every practice, squeezed every minute of play and waited for his big chance And that moment came in the 2013 playoffs, when he played more and responded (13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds). So it was that, in the following seasons in Chicago, he became a figure in the system of the coach who had challenged him. Between 2014 and 2017 he made three AllStars (2015, 2016 and 2017) and had three seasons averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. That gave him a million-dollar contract and the chance to play for his national team.

SOURCE
Butler and his adoptive mother Michelle Lambert.

In his prime Jimmy was traded to Minnesota in an unexpected move, Buttler did not grieve and gave his best in Minnesota, managing to qualify the Wolves after 13 years without going to the playoffs, however there were some rumors about Butler and that he was not comfortable in this team, there was even talk that the Texan was Toxic for the locker room and just as he had arrived to the Wolves he left for Philadelphia taking the 76ers to the brink of a conference finals. But again the rumors about his relationship with teammates, especially the team's star players (especially Ben Simmons) returned and again it was he who was ejected, less than a year after his arrival. After so much change Buttler finally arrived to his ideal place, he is currently in Miami coached by Erick Spoelstra and it seems that the player is going through the best moment of his career, he is the captain and reference of this team that is currently the best team in the East and they expect to face Boston in search of the NBA Finals, Miami is a serious candidate for the championship and Buttler is its main reference.

SOURCE

SOURCE

"I was never considered the best. They always bet against me and I faced obstacles..... But I found a way to keep going and to make things work. I always felt that I was on the right path and that, in the end, I would have my reward," was his reflection. But, in his case, the interesting thing was his attitude. Instead of getting angry, he always understood that everything that happened to him was for the best. A message he gave to an important journalist who, when he was chosen in the draft, approached him for an interview, knowing his shocking life story. "We make it to the note, no problem. I just ask that when people read it, they don't feel sorry for me. Because everything that has happened to me made me the person I am. I'm grateful for all the challenges I've faced. They've made me better." Jimmy Butler, it's clear, is a survivor and an example of self-improvement like few others.

That's all for this opportunity folks, I hope you liked it!