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Carlos Alcaraz Shares Appreciation for Jimmy Butler, Who Attended Indian Wells Amid Knee Rehab

Alcaraz and Butler have grown to become close friends over the years.
Madison Williams|
Jimmy Butler attended friend Carlos Alcaraz’s match at Indian Wells as he recovers from ACL surgery.
Jimmy Butler attended friend Carlos Alcaraz’s match at Indian Wells as he recovers from ACL surgery. | Tennis Channel/Screengrab

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Golden State Warriors

Fans haven’t seen much of Jimmy Butler since he tore his ACL on January 19 and effectively ended his 2025–26 NBA season.

However, the Warriors star made a public appearance during his knee rehab on Saturday as he attended the Indian Wells tennis tournament in Southern California. Butler went to support his friend Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 1 tennis player in the world.

Before Alcaraz’s match, though, Butler was seen conversing with other men’s stars like Alexander Zverev and Frances Tiafoe as they practiced. Butler also signed autographs for fans while walking around on crutches.

Butler watched Alcaraz beat Grigor Dimitrov 6–2, 6–3 on Saturday from a suite. After the match, Alcaraz shared how much it meant to him to have his friend Butler watch his match while he is nursing the ACL injury and in the middle of his recovery. Here’s what he had to say about Butler.

“Yeah, he’s my guy. I knew that he was coming,” Alcaraz said. “He told me like, ‘You know I was just doing my rehab really close, so I’m gonna show up to watch you.’ I was just really really happy that [after] everything he’s been through with the rehab, with the knee, that he can show up and watch my match. And then having a little bit of time with him afterwards, so for me I really appreciate that. I’m not able to see him very often, but he’s making the effort to come over. I’m just really happy about it.”

It sounds like Butler made sure to carve time out of his rehab schedule to support his friend. How sweet.

Butler and Alcaraz’s longtime friendship

The NBA star is notably a big tennis fan. He attended the Miami Open seemingly every year when he was playing for the Heat from 2019 to ’25, and now being in California with the Warriors (and away from the basketball court as he rehabs) gives him the opportunity to attend Indian Wells.

The unlikely sports pair met back in 2023 when Butler attended the Argentina Open and watched Alcaraz in the semifinals. Butler then met Alcaraz backstage and the two seemingly hit it off and remained in contact afterwards. Alcaraz attended a Heat game shortly after that to return the support he received from Butler.

That same year, Butler worked as a ball boy during the U.S. Open’s “Stars of the Open” event while Alcaraz and Tiafoe faced one another for charity. Butler stepped onto the court with a racket in hand at one point and faced Alcaraz in front of the crowd.

Butler’s attended many tennis matches since then, and specifically some of Alcaraz’s biggest matches. Most recently, Butler met up with Alcaraz after his U.S. Open semifinal win last September ahead of his eventual sixth major win as he beat Jannik Sinner in the final.

Butler’s ACL recovery timeline

The six-time All-Star is out for the remainder of the 2025–26 season after tearing his ACL in January. He underwent surgery on his ACL Feb. 9 and continues in his rehab since then.

While an official recovery timeline hasn’t been set for Butler, there’s a chance he could miss the start of the 2026–27 season this fall depending how his rehab progresses. ACL tears take on average 9–12 months for players to recover from, putting his return anywhere from October to January.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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