Welcome to The Daily Show.
I appreciate you.
What a-- what a great time to have you on as well,
because, I mean, you are an amazing basketball player.
But then, today, you have been in the news
for something that happened on the court
that got someone thrown off the court.
It was a little altercation that you had
with a, uh-- a Pacers player.
I didn't start it though. That's--
-We have to say that first. -Okay, you didn't start--
-you didn't start the thing. -I did not start it.
Right. But it-it gets heated. What was interesting is
I haven't seen many fights in basketball that end
with one person blowing a kiss at the other person.
(laughter)
I'll-I'll agree with you.
-I will agree. -(laughs)
But, but it-- Was it really a fight?
Or-- It was more of a altercation.
-It was an altercation. Right. -And it-- and it--
You see altercations end in kisses all the time, I'm sure.
-That is true. -See?
-Thin line between love and hate. -Mm.
That's what that is. Do you-- Did you think about the move
before you did it or was it just in the moment?
-You were just like, "This is-- this is me..." -If I say
it was in the moment, then...
(both laugh)
I feel like that's-that's not gonna go over well,
so I have to say I thought about it.
Now, a lot of people were excited about that moment,
because there are many people who feel like the NBA
has become too tame, you know?
Guys are like, "Oh, there's no more fighting.
There's no more roughness."
You know, you hear Shaq talking about that.
D. Wade was like, "Oh, this is old-school.
-Miami/Pacers again." -Yeah.
Do you think the game, like, enjoys moments like this,
where we feel like the players are really invested?
I think so. I think so.
Everybody likes something a little different here and there.
-Right. -And I just feel as though
I'm that type of player.
Like, I-I don't know if I'm the best player.
I can't-- I can't answer that. I can't tell you that.
But I know I'm not putting up with too many things,
um, what people want to say.
Uh, I think if you just stick to basketball, it wouldn't happen.
But time and time again, some disrespectful stuff happens.
You say you're not-- You-you say you wouldn't say
you don't know if you're the best player.
I would say that most people in Miami would say that you are.
Because when you came to the Miami Heat,
the team was struggling, I believe, in, like, tenth place.
Right? And now in the season that you've been there,
in the East, they're in second place now.
-So, I mean, you are... -Right. -(cheering and applause)
-We're doing... -I mean...
We're doing okay. We-we are.
What-what's... what's interesting...
What's interesting is that a lot of people were-were shocked
by your decision to move from Philly to Miami.
They were like, "What is Jimmy doing?"
Philly's got this super team, and now you're moving
to a team that doesn't have any proven players on it.
-Why make that decision? -I mean, for the longest time
in this league, I wasn't a proven player,
so for me to hear and know the culture and what goes on
when you're a part of the Miami Heat organization--
it fit me to a tee.
I'm allowed to be me every single day that I'm in a jersey.
Every single day that I'm in practice,
I get to-to talk the way that I would like to talk,
-Right. -...act the way I would like to act, and it's okay.
And, uh, I think we have a great group of guys,
young guys mixed with vets, and it clicks, it works.
Everybody's so happy that everybody's successful
and getting the recognition that they deserve
that, um, we're-we're going this way.
How do you... how do you work in Miami, though?
-Yeah. -No, 'cause I've-I've been there.
Like, we've been there for The Daily Show.
And, like, every day, I was just like, "I don't want to work."
-(laughter) -It's just sun, it's beach, it's...
Like, how do you stay focused in Mi...?
'Cause if-if I remember correctly,
-you wake up at, like, what-- 4:00 a.m.? -Yeah.
-I'm up early. -Every day?
Not every day now, but in the... in the summertime,
-every single day. -Every single day.
And then you're in bed by, like, what-- 9:00 p.m.?
Mm, let's say 7:00. 7:00 p.m. Yeah.
So you're not watching The Daily Show?
-(laughter) -Ah, man.
I-I record it, and I watch it throughout the day.
-You hear me? -No, but-but for real.
How have you remained so focused in life?
Because you see a lot of young players who get into the league.
They-they get a lot of money,
a lot of money that a lot of people aren't used to.
And you took this, and you became
one of the most disciplined players in the league.
How do you think you've maintained that focus?
I-I find a-a battle within myself
to know if it's because I want to continue to get better...
-Yeah. -...or if I'm so scared to go backwards.
And I don't want to go back to being just a kid from Tomball.
I love where I'm from without a doubt,
but, um, I don't think
just a kid from Tomball would be sitting on this show with you.
So, I-I want to continue to get better,
um, and I think that's why I do it, but I get lost.
Is it because I do really want to get better?
-That's interesting. -Or it because
I'm scared of... of going backwards?
I feel like that's-that's the theme of your life, as well.
You're-you're one of those people
who not only wants to become better,
not only wants to improve the situation of your life,
-but you do that for people around you. -Of course.
One thing you'll always hear about Jimmy Butler,
no matter who you speak to, in the league,
people who know you-- they go, "He has the biggest family
you've ever come across."
And they don't mean, like, like, immediate family.
They mean, like, chosen family.
You've hired anyone you've met anywhere who is amazing,
you know, whether it's... whether it's drivers
-or-or trainers or-or people... -Mm-hmm.
You've just... you've just brought people
into your little organization and said,
"Hey, let's grow together as people."
Wh-What is it about other human beings
that makes you want to improve their lives?
I think that, uh, somewhere down the line,
on many different, uh, parts of my life,
-somebody has given me a chance... -Right.
Whether it be a junior college, at Marquette,
you know, went to Chicago Bulls, now with Miami,
that I've come across so many great people,
and I-I want them to help me be better
as I help them be better.
And when I say "family," it's like we do everything together.
When I have to be up at 4:00 a.m.,
-they have to be up at 4:00 a.m. -Oh, wow.
-(laughter) -Yeah, everybody. It's not a game. -Oh, wow.
-Everybody, because... -I don't want to be in your family.
-Yes, you do. -(laughter)
Uh, but-but that's it.
-I think, uh, everybody loves to work. -Yeah.
And it reminds me of-of why I do what I do.
I know that if I'm not the best at what I do,
I can't continue to make those guys
be the best at what they do.
You also have an interesting life, uh,
that many people wouldn't know about.
You, you know, it began in an interesting way,
-but you are a passionate wine collector. -I am.
Your dream is to just, like, retire on a vineyard.
Just, like, go out there and, like, grow grapes.
And never see me again.
You may be able to see me again, via Skype
or whatever, whatever they use nowadays, but...
It's just, like, gonna be you, like, doing your thing?
And my family-- we're, we're all gonna do this together.
Everyone's gonna be picking the grapes?
Oh, yeah, except for me. I'm gonna be--
I done worked way too hard.
I got to put my feet up and enjoy it.
Why wine, though?
I don't know, I feel like wine, to me,
is a lot like people in-in the sense that
it tells a different story, um,
every bottle, every vintage, every year.
And, um, the more people that I come across, and I learn so much
about different people and different cultures.
-Yeah. -Wine for me, I mean, you might get a little buzz from it,
but that never hurt, uh, it-it's the best.
-It tells a story. -It does.
I know that you, uh, you celebrated
-the birth of your son, right? -Daughter.
-Daughter? Oh, congratulations. -Daughter, yeah, daughter.
-Congratulations, yeah. -Thank you.
-(applause, cheering) -So, I know...
So you celebrated, you celebrated the birth
of your daughter and it was a big moment for you.
-You didn't even play in the games. -Mm-mm.
Like, a lot of people would still go play,
you're like, "No, I'm out," you know,
the Miami Heat will have to play without me.
I'm gonna be there with my child.
Did you have a special bottle of wine for that occasion?
Uh, I did not, actually.
'Cause I know wine collectors have the, everyone goes, like,
like, there's a wine for every occasion.
Was there a wine that you... was special enough
for you to open for having a child?
I was in the hospital, so I didn't really know
if you were supposed to be drinking in the hospital.
-(Noah laughing) -You know? So, uh...
No, I can't say that there's a-a special bottle.
-It was just, it was a special moment. -Right.
It-it-it really put a lot of things in perspective.
To think that, you know, it was, I don't know
what to-to call it, the next...
"of age" player in Miami after the great Dwyane Wade,
yada, yada, yada, and I missed
-my opening night's game. -Right, right, right.
And so I was caught in, like, aw, man,
I really love basketball...
and I really love my family
and I'm about to have a-a daughter and be a father.
What do I do?
And I called Coach Spo, and he was like,
"All right, well, we'll see you in a couple days.
-Go to the hospital." -That's amazing.
And they made it, it made it easy for me.
That is really amazing.
I'm excited for what the future's gonna bring.
I know you guys are playing the Pacers again,
so we'll see where the kiss takes us.
I know you guys are gonna handle it on the court.
Thank you so much for being on the show.
-Appreciate you, thank you. -Jimmy Butler.
-(applause, cheering) -Jimmy Butler, everybody.