Jimmy Butler made his triumphant return to the court on Monday in the Golden State Warriors’ pivotal Game 4 victory against the Houston Rockets.
Butler was forced to sit out Game 3 due to a pelvic injury, but he was able to recover on time to suit up for Monday’s contest. The six-time All-Star made up for lost time by helping lead his team to a hard-fought 109-106 victory with 27 points on 7-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, six assists, a block and zero turnovers in 40 minutes of action.
Butler spoke to NBA on TNT’s Allie LaForce immediately after the final buzzer, and it appears that the 6-foot-7 forward took the opportunity to take a veiled shot at his former team, the Miami Heat.
“It means the world,” Butler responded when asked how it feels to get all the love from his Warriors teammate. “I die for these guys, for real. It’s so fun.
“I got my joy back, as some would say.”
“I got my joy back, as some would say” 😆
Jimmy had jokes as he caught up with @ALaForce after the @warriors win in Game 4 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PpCsJ7aE4L
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 29, 2025
Butler’s statement is a reference to comments he made in January during his infamous holdout with the Heat. At that point, Butler had already made it clear that he wanted to get traded away from Miami, but to a certain degree, Pat Riley and the front office were playing hardball.
Butler was asked during an interview whether he feels he could get his joy back in Miami, to which he responded by saying, “Probably not.”
“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be — we’ll find out here pretty soon,” Butler continued.
“I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here, off the court, but I want to be back to somewhere dominant. I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that.”
The Heat, who suffered an embarrassing first-round sweep against the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier on Monday, ended up suspending Butler for his comments before ultimately trading him to the Warriors in a blockbuster deal.
With his remarks on Monday night, it is clear that Butler is happy with his current situation with the Warriors. At the same time, he appears to have hinted that he still hasn’t forgotten about his drama-filled episode in South Beach.
Game 5 between the Warriors and the Rockets is on Wednesday in Houston as Butler and Co. look to close out the series and book their spot in the next round.
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