It All Started Here: Jimmy Butler

Pick any point on Jimmy Butler’s basketball career path and you’re unlikely to find the moment he was destined to become the NBA All-Star he is today. It would be hard to predict the success Butler has achieved, especially as a homeless 13-year-old in Tomball, Texas.

After Butler’s mother kicked him out of the house at 13 years of age, he lived with various friends while trying to find some stability. It wasn’t until before his senior year at Tomball High School that he was able to find it. Butler and another friend moved in with a fellow basketball player, Jordan Leslie, and his single mother and three siblings.

With a stable place to live and a newfound mother figure, Butler was able to focus on school and basketball. As a senior at Tomball, Butler averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds a game earning his team’s most valuable player distinction.

Even though Butler’s game was improving, he was not heavily recruited and attended Tyler (Texas) Junior College for one year. He eventually received interest from Division I basketball programs and enrolled at Marquette University for his final three collegiate seasons.

From his humble roots in Texas, Butler was then selected in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, where he has grown to become a team leader and one of the best two-way players in the league.