Started from the bottom, now he’s here
Mary Margaret Ellison, Staff Writer
Jimmy Butler, also known as Jimmy G Buckets, owned the court in Game 3 of the NBA Finals with a triple-double and almost a dozen rebounds. Butler and the ‘Heat Culture’ walked off the national stage with heads held high after fighting their way to a win against Lebron James and the Lakers. For Butler, he knows that if you want something you have to fight for it, and his story reveals the want is worth the fight.
Butler is from Tomball, Texas, which is near the outskirts of Houston. Butler was kicked out of his home by his mom at the age of 13.
Fortunately, former NGU student Jagger Segovia and his family took Butler in. Jordan Leslie, Segovia’s older brother and former NFL wide receiver, happened to have played on the same high school basketball team as Jimmy Butler.
Butler and Leslie were having a three-point shooting contest one day at school. The contest ended up with Jordan Leslie asking Jimmy Butler if he would like to come over for dinner. Butler came over for dinner and then spent the night. Butler ended up spending the night at the family’s house for multiple nights.
“As a family we realized Jimmy didn’t have a home. So, we brought him in and made him one of our own,” Segovia noted. “In the fullest extent, we adopted him into our family, and we treated him like he was one of us.”
Leslie and Segovia had six siblings and gladly added one more.
Jimmy Butler (left) and his brother (right) Jagger Segovia. (Photo courtesy of Jagger Segovia)
Coming out of high school, Butler didn’t receive any offers and had nowhere to turn. Butler decided he wanted to continue to play basketball, so he continued at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas for one year. After playing for a year, Butler was ready to call it quits since he did not have any offers from colleges. Segovia mentioned that his family kept urging Jimmy to keep going, and eventually, he received many scholarships from top teams in the nation. Butler decided to further his career at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.
“He faxed his letter in McDonald’s and the rest is history” claimed Segovia.
Butler played for the Marquette Golden Eagles for three years. The first couple years, he rode the bench, but Butler’s last year at Marquette was his breakout season. He was the second highest scoring player averaging 15.7 points per game along with 6.1 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game. In Butler’s last season at Marquette, the team made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
In the 2011 NBA Draft, Butler, a small forward, was drafted as the No. 30 pick by the Chicago Bulls. Jimmy Butler found himself on the bench more than on the court in his first couple seasons with the Bulls but that soon changed. After his first several years, Butler trained and practiced until his basketball career took off, and that’s when he exploded into the NBA star he is today. Jimmy Butler played for many NBA teams over a span of seven years and just landed with the Miami Heat last year. The Heat needed Butler, and Butler needed the Heat.
Butler with Segovia and his friends before playing the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. (Photo courtesy of Jagger Segovia)
“His story is so cool. I have never met someone so crazy dedicated,” Segovia said. “He is the definition of from the ground up.”
Butler is known to wake up at 3 a.m. and train three to four times a day with a couple hours of sleep in between. Some may think Butler comes off as arrogant and demanding. The arrogance that Butler gives off is a good kind because it is him knowing that he will succeed as a result of the sacrifice and work put in.
“The Miami team is the spitting image of Jimmy. That team is a bunch of people that shouldn’t have made it but made it,” implied Segovia. “They believe in fighting for everything you got and do whatever you need to do to win.”
Segovia played Division II soccer at North Greenville University in Tigerville, S.C. Last fall, Jimmy Butler came to one of his brother’s scrimmages. He came in for the day and was able to finally see his brother play after three years. Segovia mentioned that his brother is obsessed with soccer. Butler grabbed the soccer ball and scored on his brother while the entire soccer team watched and was able to take pictures with him after.
Many are shocked, Segovia said, to hear that Butler is his brother, since they are from different ethnic groups.
Segovia stated, “It shows that your family isn’t what you are born into, it is what you make it.”
As Butler is battling his way to a win and showing out in the NBA Finals, Segovia is there to watch and cheer for his brother.
NGU men’s soccer team with Jimmy Butler after their scrimmage shooting some shots. (Photo courtesy of @ngumenssoccer on Instagram)
