Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Explains Why He Offered Fan Once In A Lifetime Experience

Butler said he was "devastated" when he couldn't play in front of huge fan Wednesday against Boston
Shandel Richardson|
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Explains Why He Offered Fan Once In A Lifetime Experience
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Explains Why He Offered Fan Once In A Lifetime Experience

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Miami Heat

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is known as a player who only takes off games when it's absolutely necessary. 

He dealt with back stiffness before Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics, so he decided to rest. He ended up regretting it after a hearing the story of a fan named Felipe who traveled more than 4,000 miles from Argentina to Miami to see his favorite player. 

The Heat provided the fan with the ultimate game-day experience giving him some autographed memorabilia and allowed him to take a courtside picture with Gabe Vincent. 

It wasn't enough for Butler. 

On the following day, he invited the family to Miami-Dade Arena for a meet-and-greet and photos. At Thursday's practice, Butler explained his reasoning. 

"Honestly, I was devastated," Butler said of missing Wednesday's game. "I don't want to miss games. I'm glad I did get to meet him, talk to him about it. He's a huge basketball fan. He plays basketball himself. He actually does everything. He skateboards, he surfs. He's an incredible kid so I'm glad we could get to spend some together." 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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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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