MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler had a new look for Media Day, and the NBA world immediately took notice.
The Miami Heat forward arrived for the team’s first official day of work this season with piercings — eye, lip and nose — along with a new hairstyle and his fingernails painted black.
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat speaks to reporters during media day at Kaseya Center on October 2, 2023, in Miami, Florida. (Sam Navarro/Getty Images)
It’s become a trend of sorts for Butler, who went through the Media Day gamut last year with dreadlocks in a deviation from his usual look.
“I’m very emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like this. This is me,” Butler said. “This is how I’m feeling as of late.”
“This is my emotional state” 😂 @JimmyButler pic.twitter.com/EBqCMjvolF
— Overtime (@overtime) October 2, 2023
Coaches greeted Butler with smiles and laughs. Teammates, it seemed, were caught a bit off guard. Heat center Bam Adebayo — who hadn’t seen his teammate before meeting with reporters — thought someone had photoshopped something when a reporter showed him photos of Butler’s look.
“That is not real. … That is (expletive) hilarious,” Adebayo said.
Added Heat guard Tyler Herro: “He told me this was his Halloween today.”
Still unclear: If Butler will keep the look when Miami opens practice on Tuesday. The team will hold camp at Florida Atlantic University in nearby Boca Raton.