Stephen A. Smith Believes Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler Needs A Championship The Most

With the NBA Finals shifting to Game 3, the championship could be career-changing for a lot of players.

Miami Heat’s star Jimmy Butler and Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic are in desperate situations to win it all. On Tuesday, ESPN’s First Take host Stephen A. Smith said he believes the championship would mean more for Butler for various reasons.

“I think it’s Butler, personally. A couple of reasons why,” Smith said. “Number one, Butler’s older, he’s 33 years of age. That biological clock is creeping in. He ain’t the kind of player that’s going to be playing into his 40s. That’s number one. Number two, when you look at their career paths and you look at the fact that you take into account what Jokic has done and how young he is while doing so. He’s got time on his side. He’s got a better roster. The chances of Denver knocking at the door and winning a championship next year and beyond. Obviously that’s there, as well. We got to take that into consideration.”

Who would a title mean more for?
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 6, 2023

Butler, 33, is in his 13th season and is already experiencing the effects of a long career. When playing in the playoffs, he displayed fatigue during the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. After Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, a picture went viral of his ankle being swollen. Still, he played through it and led the Heat to the NBA Finals.

But they need to take advantage of this opportunity because the Heat might not be so lucky next season.

“It’s a miracle he’s [Butler] been able to do what’s he been able to do in the year he’s arrived in Miami,” Smith said. “Going to the Finals in the Bubble, going to the Conference Finals last year to Game 7. Coming back to the Finals this time around. We didn’t anticipate this from the Miami Heat. It’s a testament to their organization, their culture but it’s also a testament to him.”

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.