Jimmy Butler: ‘I'm an incredible human being and teammate'

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CAMDEN, N.J. — Jimmy Butler comes to the Sixers with a reputation.

In this case, it’s not a great one. After Butler made it clear to the Timberwolves that he wanted out of Minnesota, the drama reached a fever pitch over the next few months.

Sometimes reputations are earned and sometimes they’re unfairly given. In this case, Butler believes it to be the latter.

“You really wouldn't know who I am unless you're around me every day,” Butler said Tuesday. “For the most part, that's why I don't worry too much about what everybody says. If you know me, if you're around me, you know my heart. You know how I go about what I go about. 

“I love my teammates. I don't think there's too many of them that'll tell you that I'm a bad teammate but people get whatever they want to say out. It is what it is but I think that I'm an incredible human being and teammate and I'll show that to the guys that are here.”

Butler answered some tough questions but also gave a few light-hearted answers. He looked like a guy that got what he wanted. He also seemed like a guy willing to fit in — on and off the court.

There have been reports that Butler doesn’t always play well with others. First, it was with Derrick Rose in Chicago. Recently, it was Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in Minnesota. 

Now he joins the Sixers and will be teammates with their young superstars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. He’ll also join 20-year-old Markelle Fultz, who’s trying to find his NBA footing after a bizarre rookie season and a just-as-weird second season

The obvious concern is a similar fate as Butler’s previous two stops: Everything appears great at the start but eventually becomes tumultuous. Butler doesn’t take too kindly to those rumors and wanted to squash them Tuesday.

The funny part about it is, all you hear is ‘sources say.’ You never hear a player say it. I think if a player had a problem, I think that they would. That’s how I feel about the situation. Unless everybody in my past locker room is just that fake, I don’t think that I was that big of a problem at all. Even after I was moved, I still had great conversations with them, wishing them luck, because they’re incredible players but even better human beings. I’ll leave it at that. All the sources and the ‘sources say,’ I’m pretty sure the ‘sources will say’ here as well.

The indisputable reputation Butler has garnered is as a tough, hard-working and ultra-competitive player. He made his way from the last pick in the first round of the draft to a perennial All-Star and one of the best two-way players in the game.

Elton Brand did his due diligence on Butler. He called some of his former teammates and coaches to get a feel for what Butler was all about. Brand believes that Butler's only true desire is to win. That’s why he wanted out of Minnesota and why he’s happy to be Sixer.

“I’ll tell you right now, I’m not the most talented guy. I’m not the best shooter, I’m not the fastest runner or the highest jumper,” Butler said. “I just think that I just play hard. I’m up early before a lot of people in the gym, in there later than a lot of people in the gym because I want to do whatever my team asks me to do, to help us win as many games as possible. 

“I really take great pride in knowing that I’m basically in control of my own destiny when it comes to being out there on the basketball floor. I love to work. I love to grind. I’ve always been like that. It doesn’t change now. If anything, I just take it up a notch. This city is going to love that about me.”

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