AS JIMMY BUTLER boarded his first team flight with the Golden State Warriors the day before his Feb. 8 debut against the Chicago Bulls, he had something in his carry-on that he rarely travels without -- his dominoes.
It's an integral part of some of his fondest memories with his late father, Jimmy Butler Jr., who died a year earlier. His father drove an 18-wheeler and spent long days on the road but still had time to introduce his son to the world of dominoes. He educated Butler on strategy, how to always pay attention to the surroundings and the opponents' tells, and most important of all, how to become a winner.