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Heat's Jimmy Butler gives Meyers Leonard an earful for `stealing' his rebound

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler playfully puts out $1 million on teammate Meyers Leonard for taking his rebound in Friday's victory against the New York Knicks
Shandel Richardson|
Heat's Jimmy Butler gives Meyers Leonard an earful for `stealing' his rebound
Heat's Jimmy Butler gives Meyers Leonard an earful for `stealing' his rebound

 Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler had every reason to be in a good mood.

His team had just defeated the New York Knicks Friday night, running its record to 21-8. The Heat won by 15 despite Butler, their prize offseason acquisition, taking just three shots.

All smiles in the locker room afterward, right?

Wrong.

Thirty minutes after the win, Butler was still jawing with teammate Meyers Leonard for stealing a rebound in the second half. With the Heat comfortably ahead, Butler mistimed his jump only to have the ball land in Meyers’ hand. Butler gave Meyers a death stare before both laughed with one another on the way up the court.

Before speaking with reporters, Butler yelled across the locker room that Meyers stole his rebound. Meyers shrugged it off. Butler refused to let it go, taking to social-media later.

On his Twitter page, he posted a photo of Meyers on a “Wanted” poster with a $1 million bounty. The caption read:
wanted dead or alive for stealing rebounds @meyersleonard

A few minutes later, Meyers responded with an “I owe you brother.”

The candidness is just another bonus of having Butler around. Although he has been criticized for being a drama queen in year’s past, he has been nothing but a comedic presence for teammates this season. From joking with Bam Adebayo about who does their post-game interviews first to making fun of Tyler Herro’s need for hair gel, it’s been a Saturday Night Live skit for Butler.

It helps the Heat are off to such a hot start. They are on pace to make the playoffs after missing them three of the last five years. Let’s see if it continues if they hit a rough patch this season. One thing is certain: with Butler around, there is a new sheriff in town. 

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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

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