Jimmy Butler’s first concern after an ACL injury wasn’t basketball. It was his kids.
The NBA star tore his ACL during the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Miami Heat on Monday, Jan. 19. Late in the third quarter, the 35 year old went up to catch the ball and fell awkwardly, twisting his right knee.
The father of two stayed down on the court for several minutes while holding his knee, as reported by ESPN,, before being helped to his feet and taken to the locker room. The Warriors later confirmed that Jimmy will undergo surgery, with the date still to be determined.
Inside the locker room, Jimmy’s focus quickly shifted to his family, according to teammate Draymond Green, who shared the moment on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.
“First thing he said, sitting in that locker room was, ‘Man, I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade in the morning,’” the athlete said on the Thursday, Jan. 22 episode.
Jimmy shares daughter Rylee, 6, and son Brayan, 3, with girlfriend Kaitlin Nowak.
“He said it four different times: ‘I’m not going to be able to take my kids to the arcade in the morning,’” Draymond recalled on the episode, adding that they “talked a little more” before Butler repeated himself again.
“‘Man, I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade.’ That’s all he kept saying,” Draymond said. “He was just in this state of delirium. Completely delirious. I can only imagine what he felt, but he just kept saying, ‘I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade.’”
In a June 2023 interview with ABC News, Butler said Rylee and Brayan are his “why” and the reason behind everything he does. “Like everything I do now, I want to make it home to them. I want to make sure they’re safe.”
That same year, when Bleacher Reportasked what he planned to do first after the NBA playoffs, Jimmy didn’t hesitate. “I’m gonna play with my daughter, man. I love her to death, I miss her — I’ve been away for a very long time,” he said. “We’re going to get ice cream, we’re going to the park, we’re doing a lot of different stuff.”
