How An Abandoned Child TRANSFORMED Into An NBA Superstar…

On the brink of elimination, most players don't have the dog in them to be a hero, but that's not the case when we're talking about Jimmy Buckets. Six All-Star selections, five All-Defensive teams, four All-NBA teams, and one Finals appearance. Who would have thought that a former homeless kid would have risen up and achieved all these successes in the NBA? Prepare to be inspired, guys, because I know I was. In this video today, I'm going to be sharing with you one of the greatest underdog stories in basketball history. Jimmy Butler III was born September 14th, 1989, to a family of four in Tomball, Texas, a small town located on the outskirts of Houston. Jimmy, by all accounts, had experienced a rough childhood and an unconventional upbringing. When he was just an infant, his father left home and never came back. And then when he was just 13, his mother, Londa, kicked him out of the house, telling him, I don't like the look of you, you gotta go. He was basically on his own after that, with no roof over his head and no parents to look after him. To survive, he crashed and couch surfed from one of his friend's house to another. Needless to say, it was an uphill climb for little Jimmy. Anyway, Butler attended Tomball High School, and in case you didn't know, football was actually his preferred sport. However, due to his lack of size at the time, he quit and shifted to basketball instead, mainly because he didn't want to get squashed by the bigger guys on the field, and I don't really blame him for that at all. With no one to turn to, Jimmy spent most of his time and energy playing basketball. After a summer league game, a fellow student by the name of Jordan Leslie approached him and challenged him to an impromptu three-point shootout. Just like Butler, Leslie was a multi-sport athlete excelling in both basketball and football. And, well, the two of them became best buddies, and later on, Leslie would frequently invite Jimmy to come over to his house and play video games, have dinner, and eventually stay with them for a couple of days. Jordan's mother, Michelle Lambert, learned about the hardship that Jimmy went through, and after consulting with her husband, she decided to let Jimmy stay for good and be part of their family, despite already having seven other children to feed. For the first time in a long time, Jimmy finally had a family. They accepted me into their family, and it wasn't because of basketball. She was just very loving. She just did stuff like that. I couldn't believe it. Though they accepted him with open arms, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Acting like his real mother, Michelle set some ground rules and additional responsibilities to Jimmy. He had to come home on time, had to attend all his classes, keep his grades up, and do household chores. But most importantly, Michelle told him that he had to set an example for the younger kids around him. With a newfound family backing him up, Butler performed well on the court and became a star for the Tombow High School Cougars, where he averaged about 20 points and 9 rebounds per game as the team captain in his senior year. Though these numbers were fairly impressive, it wasn't impressive enough to turn the heads of Division I scouts. To add to his woes, Butler didn't play AAU ball, which ultimately hurt his chances of showcasing his talents on a much bigger stage. And to make the situation more grim for Jimmy, he was also ranked as the 73rd best basketball player in the state. So at this point in his life, Butler was at the crossroads of his basketball career. With nowhere to go and zero scholarships from the big schools, Butler decided to go to a less popular school, Tyler Junior College. With his NBA dream hanging in the balance, he had no choice but to show up and generate some attention so he could get noticed by Division I schools. In his first game with Tyler Junior, Butler dropped 34 points to show that he belongs in the big leagues. After that game, Jimmy followed it up with a couple of 30 and 40 point games and because of the scoring explosion, people started calling him Jimmy Buckets, a nickname that he still goes by today. After leading the team in scoring and garnering all-American honors, Division I schools finally noticed Jimmy and started offering him scholarships. In the end, Jimmy ultimately chose Marquette. He had a slow start in Marquette as he didn't get much floor action in his first year. He managed to turn the tide when he moved to the starting lineup in his junior year, where he averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. Then, in his last year at Marquette, he amped up his scoring to 15.7 points to raise his stock in the 2011 NBA Draft. According to Jimmy, his former teammates Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward were instrumental in his development to becoming an all-around player during his time in Marquette. I was tutored by the best. Those guys taught me so much about how to play, and how to be a man. I knew that to be successful, I had to be more than a scorer. I had to become a leader. It's not about scoring, it's about doing what my team needs me to do. I want to be that glue guy. I want to be a guy my team and my coach can count on. That's what I want to be. After declaring for the draft, the Bulls selected Butler as the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Some of y'all might think that he was a star immediately when he entered the big leagues, but just like in Marquette, Butler had a rocky start. As a rookie, he saw limited minutes on the floor and hardly produced any significant impact by only averaging 2.6 points a ball game. But, despite the setback, Butler never once complained. The man just put his head down and kept working hard. Around the 2014 season, his teammates Derek Rose and Liu Dang both got injured, but instead of sulking, Butler saw this as an opportunity to stand out and prove to his doubters that he's more than just an athletic defender. In his fourth year, he had a bit of a breakout, averaging 20 points a ball game while grabbing his fair share of rebounds. Jimmy Buckets was back. As a result of his hard work, Butler was named the Most Improved Player in 2015, and in the following season, he was finally voted to be a part of the All-Star Game. After six seasons with the Bulls, Butler reunited with Coach Thibodeau in Minnesota, where he brought the team back to the playoffs for the first time since the Kevin Garnett era, and then he got traded to the 76ers. He proved his worth yet again by helping Embiid with their deep run during the 2019 playoffs. While earning multiple All-Star nods at this point in his career, Butler also received recognition for his defense. And, uh, Jimmy Buckets is actually part of a rare group of players who've been selected to both All-NBA teams and All-Defensive teams. Anyway, though he had successful runs both in Minnesota and Philly, Butler often had a hard time gelling with teammates who he feels are slacking and don't put a premium on winning as much as he does. While most teams think that Butler is quote-unquote a bad guy, Miami, on the other hand, saw Butler as an integral part that fits their winning culture, and true enough, Butler delivered and carried them all the way to the 2020 NBA Finals in his first season with the Heat. Fast forward to the 2022 playoffs, Jimmy Buckets continues to prove that he's a force to be reckoned with, and though a lot of people blamed him for missing the crucial three-pointer in the last seconds of Game 7, it wouldn't have even been possible for them to play in that game if it wasn't for his 47-point outburst when their backs were against the wall in Game 6. Anyway guys, regardless of the disappointing loss against the Celtics, the success they've experienced in the past three years is largely credited to the leadership that Jimmy Butler has provided them. From being a homeless kid who jumped from one couch to another just to get by, to being a legit superstar in the most prestigious basketball league in the world, Jimmy Butler's journey to the top couldn't be any more inspiring. And though many people always count out Jimmy, he thrives in these situations because that's the way it's been for him his whole life. My whole life, people have doubted me. My mom did. People told me in high school I'm too short, not fast enough to play basketball. They didn't know my story, because if they did, they'd know that anything is possible. Who would have thought that a small-town kid would become a halfway decent player in college and now has a chance to be drafted into the NBA? That's my chip. That's what motivates me. I know I can overcome anything if I just take everything one day at a time. Anyway guys, I want to shift the topic now to another former Chicago Bulls player, Michael Jordan. Did you all know that despite how insane this guy was, players in the league actually wanted to trash talk him? Yeah, it's true guys, and it's pretty crazy. And you can watch it all right here. Jeez guys, it's unbelievable and you have to see it to believe it. So what are you waiting for? Click the video, and like always, I'll see you on the other side.