NBA superstar Jimmy Butler is one of the best two-way players in the league. He has been one of the major pieces of the Miami Heat ever since he joined them in 2018. Butler led the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020 in the NBA bubble against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite his huge efforts, the Heat could not stop the Lakers from lifting the trophy. Last season, the Heat lost the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. So there was huge expectation about the game between the Heat and the Celtics.
The Heat and the Celtics are two of the best defensive teams in the league. So it is always a spectacle when the two go against each other. However, one young Heat fan was left disappointed.
Fans felt the pain of the young fan
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Before the start of the game, one young fan was seen with a sign saying he flew 4405 miles to see Jimmy Butler play. Unfortunately, Butler was ruled out of the game with a back issue an hour before the tipoff. As soon as the boy found out about Bulter’s absence on the floor, he looked crushed. As the video clip of the boy looking dejected was trending on social media, many NBA fans shared their opinions. Here are some reactions:
Weird how the NBA is the only league that has this issue. NHL, MLB, NFL all don’t deal with this. NBA soft confirmed?
— Connor G. (@Connor_Grott) January 25, 2023
https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1618043844507103233?s=20&t=gU17xqF1UinlFzhTwvVJAw
What a joke , honestly the nba isn’t what it was. No one wants to play anymore and no one plays defence when they do play. Pretty depressing
— khal f (@khalail_fyith) January 25, 2023
Buying tickets to a game is roll of the dice. Most people can’t wait until last min to see if a player is going to play. NBA you go to see the stars and these days, you just never know.
— Jesse (@jtrain1212) January 25, 2023
Why do they call these premium games and sell the tickets at premium prices when the stars end up not playing.
— Artist Formerly Known As Whoopty-Hell (@FanoftheLand13) January 25, 2023
This is the crap that nba players Dont understand. Yeah you get a “nagging injury” which is more than likely load control. And you got people spending hard earned money or people traveling a crap ton of miles. Just to see you play. Like come on man. If your a star you gotta play.
— Ty James 🫥🤟☄️🪐 (@coolshirtbru) January 25, 2023
This is the problem with load management
— mark buomfigilo (@ajcfather) January 25, 2023
Yep, been there. Drove down to Cleveland (from Michigan) to watch the Heat. No Butler, no Herro, and got beat by 25. The NBA is a complete joke. Overpaid players who never play, “injured” or resting.
— Bobby Smith 🇺🇸 (@Michigan305) January 25, 2023
Most fans felt the young fan’s pain. Traveling over 4000 miles to see your favorite player play only to later find out the player is not playing at all is not a nice feeling. A lot of fans criticized the NBA as a whole for situations like this. Some fans claimed things like this happen almost every single game in the NBA with superstars sitting out at the last minute.
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On the other hand, some fans stated injuries are part and parcel of the game and cannot be controlled. The NBA season is long and grueling with 82 games and many back-to-back nights and long away trips. So it is understandable that the players are sometimes unwell.
Jimmy Butler made sure the boy left the arena happy
The video clip caught the eyes of Jimmy Butler as well. Since he was sick and was not in the arena, he made sure the boy did not leave the arena disappointed. So he arranged for some gifts; a signed basketball and a jersey. Butler shared a picture of the boy with the gifts on his Instagram story with the caption, “I got you”.
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Furthermore, Butler has the kid’s details and might meet him in the future. Also, the Miami Heat organization gave the young fan and his family courtside seats. Even though the fan could not see his favorite player perform on the court, he received some memorabilia and watched the Heat beat Conference rivals Celtics 98-95.