Jimmy Butler Famously Faxed His National Letter of Intent From a McDonald's

Published on June 25th, 2024 9:37 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Jimmy Butler is one of the most ferocious playoff performers of all time in the NBA - in fact, one of his nicknames is "Playoff Jimmy".

Butler has nerves of steel on the basketball court, and a big reason for that might be his tough upbringing.

After all, how can you play timidly on the court when you have had to deal with so much adversity over the course of your life?

Jimmy Butler doesn't like to talk about his youth very much, but he certainly had a hard time.

In fact, Butler found himself homeless at the age of just 13 years old after getting kicked out of his house. According to Butler, his mother said to him: "I don't like the look of you. You gotta go."

While Butler's opponents were working on their jump shots, "Playoff Jimmy" was trying to find a place to live.

Butler was living on the couches of his friends when he finally found himself a stable home. After becoming friends with freshman Jordan Leslie, Butler was invited to stay at their home, and quickly became part of their family. With this newfound stability heading into his senior year, Butler blossomed, averaging nearly 20 points per game and being voted his team's most valuable player.

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Butler wasn't really noticed by any schools and decided to attend Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.

Butler dominated at Tyler, drawing the attention of numerous programs, including Marquette.

Butler was offered an athletic scholarship by Marquette, which he ended up accepting.

Butler didn't have a way to communicate his intention to attend Marquette, so he used a fax machine at a local McDonald's to fax his National Letter of Intent.

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Butler did very well during his time with Marquette.

In his senior year, Butler averaged 15.7 points per game, along with 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Butler garnered enough attention to be drafted in the late first round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.

Butler, who is currently playing for the Miami Heat, is a 6x All-Star.