The trail never has been very straight or smooth for Jimmy Butler even as he’s ridden to NBA stardom and Sunday’s true elite status as an Eastern Conference starter in the league’s gala All Star game in New Orleans. He had that famously difficult and dysfunctional adolescent experience, the journey through the rough fringes of basketball life to junior college and even at Marquette, where his coach’s instructions until his senior year basically was to get the ball and immediately throw it to one of the good players. That Butler rose to his third consecutive All-Star game appearance and likely all-NBA status with the Bulls from being a low first round draft choice and eventual spot starter remains one of the truly inspiring NBA stories of this era.
Just a kid from Tomball
