Did Jimmy Butler Just Fire Another Shot at Erik Spoelstra, Heat Management?

Even on his nights off, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler makes headlines for comments with a potentially deeper meaning.

Monday night was no exception.

Butler attended the Unrivaled women’s basketball game between Phantom BC and Vinyl BC. The six-time All-Star sat courtside at Wayfair Arena in Medley for the Phantom’s 84-71 home loss.

After praising the new women’s basketball league during a sideline interview, Butler took aim at Phantom BC coach Adam Harrington.

“Anybody can do what he do … He’s just lucky he’s got such good players that they make him look good,” Butler said, “because he’s not that great at what he does.

“But my goodness, having hoopers like he’s’ got on his team … he’s a lucky guy,” Butler continued.

Jimmy Butler at the women’s Unrivaled league trolling Coach Adam Harrington

Butler: it’s all about the talent. Coaches are good but when you got talented players they always make you look better

Reporter: That’s a statement in a statement

Butler: Ain’t it, we don’t like Adam… pic.twitter.com/Mq1aejec8c
— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) January 21, 2025

Butler knows Harrington well, having practiced with the former Dallas Mavericks guard as recently as October. Given Butler’s reputation for sarcasm and pettiness, we’re not sure if he’s genuinely dissing Harrington or just poking fun.

However, Butler made further comments some social media users perceived as a shot at Heat management, specifically coach Erik Spoelstra and president Pat Riley.

“Coaches are good, but when you got some talented players, they always make you look so much better,” Butler said.

That certainly sounds like a shot at Spoelstra and Riley, if not every other coach Butler has played for since entering the NBA in 2011.

In fairness to Butler, he’s not exactly wrong. It’s easy for coaches to take credit for winning when they have superstars leading the way. Spoelstra won two championships and reached four Finals when he had Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James all playing together.

There are plenty of other ways to interpret Butler’s comments. We’ll see if he clarifies what he meant or if Butler again opts to decline comment, as he's frequently done throughout his entire trade saga.

LOVE MOCKS DUNCAN ROBINSON

Miami Heat veteran big man Kevin Love spent recent weeks poking fun at teammate Jimmy Butler amid the latter’s team-mandated suspension.

With Butler back on the court, Love is turning his comedy skills elsewhere—and focusing his sights on another teammate.

Love shared a childhood photo of Heat guard Duncan Robinson on Monday, one day after Robinson tallied 21 points in a blowout win over the Spurs. Robinson added five rebounds, two assists, and drilled five of his seven three-point tries.

“The pride of New Hampshire — Duncan McBryde Robinson,” Love wrote, adding, “803 Stand Up!!!”

The post includes two photos of Robinson dunking on Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama and one of Robinson with a black eye.

If that wasn’t enough, Love added Nas’ “Make You Look” as the song of choice.

JOEL ANTHONY BECOMES OWNER

Like some former teammates, longtime Miami Heat center Joel Anthony transitioned from player to coach in retirement.

Now, Anthony is carving his own path in the Great White North.

Anthony officially became a co-owner of the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Montréal Alliance on Monday. The Canadian native has served as the team’s general manager since 2021.

“My journey, from Montreal gyms to the NBA, has shown me how critical it is to have a solid foundation to grow basketball,” Anthony said. “Today, with this ownership group deeply committed to the city and the sport, we have an opportunity to build something lasting for Montreal.”

Anthony averaged 2.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 382 games (110 starts) with the Heat from 2007 through 2014. He was a key backup on the Big Three-era teams and started 51 of 66 games during the lockout-impacted 2011-12 campaign.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.