Inside The Heat

Media Personality Questions If Jimmy Butler Is Must-See TV

Shandel Richardson|
Jan 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Jan 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) during the second 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 is no doubt a winner.

But is he a winner worth watching?

That's the question media personality Bomani Jones pondered during a recent social media post. He compared Butler to the Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade Luka Doncic to join LeBron James with Los Angeles Lakers.

Jones lumped Butler with players who don't necessarily sell the tickets.

"How many people are paying money to watch Jimmy Butler, in particular, to play basketball," Jones said. "You understand what I'm saying? Who amongst us has ever paid a dollar to specifically see Anthony Davis play basketball?

Doncic was surprisingly traded earlier this week despite leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals a year. He's been an All-NBA player most of his career. Jones wondered why the Mavs were so easily willing to part ways with their All-Star.

He put Doncic in the same category with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and James as players who fans are willing to travel to see.

"People pay money to watch Luka Doncic to play basketball in a market that is not really a basketball town where you gotta give them reason to pay the money to come out here and do this."

Regardless, the Heat are still embattled in a monthlong situation with Butler, who has requested a trade. The Heat have less than two days to make that happen.

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