Inside The Heat

Jimmy Butler Says "Beef" Is With Miami Heat Management, Not Teammates

Shandel Richardson|
Jan 17, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks on against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Jan 17, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks on against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was back on the court Friday night for the first time since he was handed a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

Butler said he was excited to be around teammates but still hinted a rift remains between him and Heat management, mainly team president Pat Riley.

"It felt good to get out there and compete and actually run around with these guys," Butler said after the Heat's loss to the Denver Nuggets. "As much as everybody may think, I don't got a problem with these guys. These guys are cool. They're my friends. ... My beef is not with them and never will be. Never has been. But it did feel good to get out there and play some basketball."

Butler finished with 18 points on 7 of 15 shooting. The Heat and Butler have feuded since last offseason when Riley criticized Butler for talking about last season's loss to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. Butler was sidelined for the series due to injury.

Things only got worse the Heat refused to offer a contract extension. It culminated with Butler requesting a trade earlier this month.

"I guess it's basketball at this point," Butler said. "I know what I'm expected to do while I'm here and try to do that to the best of my ability, but we are where we are."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here