Leave it to Jimmy Butler to deliver one of the only concise messages about crypto ahead of this year’s Super Bowl commercial onslaught which featured celebrity endorsements from just about everyone, including a present day LeBron James visiting a younger, CGI version of himself in the past, and from Butler’s current teammate and best friend, Kyle Lowry.
Butler was part of an anti-celebrity celebrity endorsement campaign for cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, that included UFC Featherweight Valentina Shevchenko and Colombian musician, J Balvin. The three shared different videos but the message was the same: celebrities don’t know anything about cryptocurrency, so why would you take advice from them about it?
On a call with Dime, Butler, direct on the floor as he is in the faces of wayward opponents, shared his thoughts on crypto and making the right investing decisions for yourself. He also talked about the Heat’s approach to the rest of the season, the intuitive way he and Lowry work the floor (and what Lowry brings to the locker room, and everybody’s lives), his upcoming 6th All-Star appearance, and how to be ready for luck, when it comes.
You’re in pretty good company with this campaign. UFC’s Valentina Shevchenko, who is tough as hell, and musician J Balvin, who might come close to you for how candid he can be. Do you feel like it’s kind of the anti-celebrity dream team for this campaign?
I think so. A bunch of great individuals who are learning, just like I am, about crypto, but more than anything some genuine individuals. So they are people that are really going to say what they mean and mean what they say.
You’ve established yourself as a person who appreciates tangible things, I think. Obviously your game, but also playing dominoes, learning closely the intricate process of coffee, same with wine, and now being a dad too. Does that perspective come into play with something like crypto, and how you approach it?
It does. And it’s funny because I don’t think parenting is anything like crypto, don’t get me wrong, but I think being a dad is kind of like, you know what’s best for you and your child. There’s really no right or wrong way to do anything. And that’s what I get from all the research that I have been doing on crypto — and tell everybody else to do the same. Only because your decision is your decision. It could be right for you, it may not be right for you. But I can’t let anybody else tell me what to do. And I go about being a dad the exact same way.
Does it ever come down to instinct?
Instinct is everything. You know. I don’t know, Spidey, tingle, senses — whatever you want to call it — you’ll know what’s right for you. Especially if you’re reading up on it and you’re paying attention to what’s going on.
You’re also someone who seems to like to learn everything about the hobbies they get into or interested they pursue. The crypto space can be overwhelming and a bit reckless, where did you start to get information about it for yourself?
I’ve read countless books. I sit down and I have conversations with a lot of my friends who call themselves “experts” at it — and they’re not. There are so many other individuals that call themselves experts at it — and they’re not. But I will say I actually do pay attention. I do want to do what’s right for me. But I feel like when Super Bowl rolls around and everybody’s telling you to do that, and do this, it’s really tough because you do see those individuals all the time, and you do want to listen to them and what they say, but once again, I just don’t think it’s a good look. I think you should figure out what’s good for you and not good for you, and you ride with that decision.
I’ve heard you say that the approach you’re taking this year with the Heat’s road to the postseason is that it’s an entirely different year, it’s a different team, there’s no point in looking back and comparing yourselves to that team last season. Why is it important to you to shed any previous comparisons, or expectations?
Because every day, in every year, man, nobody even knows what tomorrow brings let alone what you were last year, or two years ago. Now we have a completely different team, everybody’s in a different role. There are just so many things that change from day-to-day. Talking about the trade deadline, it could change again. Who knows.
And it’s actually funny because I feel like there’s more and more stuff that comes up that you can learn about crypto every other day too. So what was okay a year ago, it’s not the same today or tomorrow. So I feel like I can compare almost anything and everything with basketball. And as much studying as I do on the opponent I’m going to play against tomorrow night, whether they be left handed, right handed, left wing, right wing, a lot of that same — probably not as much, because basketball is my job — a lot of my focus goes in on learning about crypto as well.
You like the floor to be organized. You’ve never been shy about being the most vocal leader out there. Bam is like that, Spo’s like that. But now — I’m biased, I’m in Toronto, full disclosure — you’ve got Lowry. Have you felt that responsibility shift from yourself at all, now that you have Kyle?
No. I think Kyle’s like the perfect — I mean that’s my brother, godfather to my child, like all of that good stuff — he’s the perfect counterbalance for me because the points that I get across, are from zero to one hundred. And I’m at the hundred. Like yo, I don’t have time for this. There’s cuss words, there’s yelling that’s going on, and Kyle walks in so calm and collected and he’s just like, everything’s going to be okay guys. Don’t listen to Jimmy he’s just yelling, he’s on one. So I really respect him for what he brings to the table. Along with Bam and Spo and everybody else, but Kyle, I’m telling you he’s the perfect counterbalance, point guard, Hall of Fame player that can really get everybody to rally around him.
That was the point I was going to make. It looks so intuitive, the two of you working in tandem.
He’s definitely one of the more brilliant basketball minds that I’ve been around, but not only that, he actually cares about people. Not just on his team. All across the world, across the league, the fans. Everybody. He just wants everybody to be happy. He’s there to put on a show for everybody that’s watching, and I think you really respect that about Kyle. Because he is a champion, he is a gold medalist, he’s done everything that you can think of when it comes to having a basketball career, and he’s still the same guy. Every single day he comes in, works hard, tries to uplift everybody else. But more than anything he just tries to win.
We really miss him.
Y’all can’t have him back.
I had a feeling that would be the answer, but, congratulations on All-Star! This will be your 6th appearance and I know you appreciate getting picked to be a part of it every time. What are the things that end up standing out for you most with each All-Star that you’re in?
Just how much everybody that’s picked for All-Star has accomplished in this league, and what they’ve done that particular season. And those players, those individuals, have put in a lot of time that nobody gets the opportunity to see. But they’re a big part in why their team is winning. Very huge part in so many other individual’s lives that they don’t even know, just because they’re so good at what they do. I just have so much respect for everybody that has an opportunity to be on the All-Star roster — not just on the roster, in the league as a whole — but definitely on the roster because they’ve been playing at an extremely high level to that point. And I know they’re gonna continue to do it. And those are the teams and the players you’re going to see in the playoffs come April.
You’ve talked before about how much luck plays a factor not just in a career, but in life. I think it’s something people don’t necessarily recognize enough. Luck and timing. How have you learned to stay ready, or to prepare yourself, for luck when it comes?
Honestly, I just keep doing the same things I’ve been doing every single day to get me to whatever point I am in life. But for things that go as close to perfect as they can, cause there’s no such thing as perfect, the stars have to align or however you want to put it, but if you’re doing the same thing every day, you’re definitely going to be comfortable. You’re going to know where you stand whenever adversity hits, or when something gets really, really difficult. And then it’s just like, yo, luck comes around just at the perfect place, the perfect time, and it just takes you over that edge. And now you’re at a point where like, man, all this hard work has really been paying off, but more than anything this is the moment that I’ve been waiting on. And you’re going to capitalize because you’ve been focused, you’ve been planning on it all the time. And then, boom, the luckiness sets in, the right timing sets in, and everything that you really wanted, you’ve got now.
