Jimmy Butler (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Butler is an American basketball player who plays for the Chicago Bulls
. He was selected in the 2011 NBA Draft
as the 30th and last pick in the first round by the Chicago Bulls
.
general manager said about Butler,
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 on 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.
As a senior at Tomball High, Butler averaged 19 points per game, as well as 8 rebounds per game as a senior in the 2006-07 season, and was voted his team's most valuable player.
in Tyler, Texas
. After his freshman season, he transferred to Marquette University
, where, as a sophomore in the 2008-09 season, he has averaged 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, as well as a .769 free-throw percentage. Butler moved into the starting lineup as a junior during the 2009-10 season and averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and earned All-Big East Honorable Mention honors. His season was highlighted by two game-winning shots vs. UConn and St. John's, helping Marquette finish 11-7 in the Big East and earn its 5th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
. He was selected in the 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
as the 30th and last pick in the first round by the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
.
Early life and high school
Before the 2011 draft, one NBANational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
general manager said about Butler,
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
Tomball, Texas
Tomball is a city in Harris county in the U.S. state of Texas, a part of the Houston metropolitan area. The population was 9,089 at the 2000 census. In 1907, the community of Peck was renamed Tomball. The city are named for local congressman Thomas Henry Ball, who had a major role in the...
, 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 on to another house.
In a summer basketball league before his senior year at Tomball High School
Tomball High School
Tomball Senior High School is an accredited public high school in the city of Tomball, Texas. Until 2011, it was the only high school in the Tomball Independent School District, which serves nearly 9,500 students...
, he was noticed by Jordan Leslie, a freshman football and basketball player at the school, who challenged him to a three-point shooting
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
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.
As a senior at Tomball High, Butler averaged 19 points per game, as well as 8 rebounds per game as a senior in the 2006-07 season, and was voted his team's most valuable player.
College career
Butler was not heavily recruited coming out of high school and chose to attend Tyler Junior CollegeTyler Junior College
Tyler Junior College is a two-year community college in Tyler, Texas, United States. TJC is one of the largest community colleges in Texas, with an enrollment of more than 12,000 credit students each year with an additional 20,000 continuing education enrollments annually. Its West Campus includes...
in Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. After his freshman season, he transferred to Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, where, as a sophomore in the 2008-09 season, he has averaged 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, as well as a .769 free-throw percentage. Butler moved into the starting lineup as a junior during the 2009-10 season and averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and earned All-Big East Honorable Mention honors. His season was highlighted by two game-winning shots vs. UConn and St. John's, helping Marquette finish 11-7 in the Big East and earn its 5th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.