Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler reveals his love of an alternative sport

Jimmy Butler has done a lot during his 12 years in the NBA. He is a six-time All-Star, a five-time All-Defensive player, the 2015 Most Improved Player of the Year, and has been to the NBA Finals multiple times.

But Butler is so much more than a basketball player. He's also an entrepreneur and a fan of other sports, including padel, which is a unique mix between tennis and squash. He became acquainted with the sport after he moved to Miami to join the Heat. He was introduced to padel by former tennis star Wayne Boich.

“I didn’t know Wayne,” Butler told the Miami Herald. “I just know somehow someway, padel starts getting talked about at the table. I’m not even in the conversation. But I’m like, you know what? I just got through playing like a month ago, I think I’m pretty good.”

Butler challenged Boich to a game and quickly fell in love with the sport. He has been playing ever since. He is now a part of the Padel Reserve Cup tournament in Miami, a three-day event that has 14 of the world's top padel players. The tournament runs this weekend.

Butler's love of the sport has brought it a lot more attention and popularity. It's not the only sport that he loves to watch outside of basketball. The Heat star is almost an avid tennis fan and has been spotted flying across the globe to watch matches.

His interest in the Miami padel scene shows that Butler is not only a huge fan of all sports but also committed to remaining in the city, perhaps until the end of his career.