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The vast majority of Heat fans gave Warriors forward Jimmy Butler a warm welcome back in his return to Miami on Tuesday night, something that didn’t sit right with ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
“I was embarrassed last night,” Marks said Wednesday morning on “Get Up.” “I was embarrassed watching that and looking at what the Heat fans did. To give a man who quit on you, he quit on them in the middle of the year because he didn’t get paid by the Miami Heat.
“I know he took you to two NBA Finals and everything he did great for you, but to give that man a standing ovation, even if it was 50 percent of that, that bothered me dearly.”
Bobby Marks slams Heat fans who cheered for Jimmy Butler last night
“I was embarrassed watching that and what the Heat fans did. To give a man who quit on you a standing ovation, that bothered me dearly”
(Via @GetUpESPN / h/t @HeatCulture13 )
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 26, 2025
The Heat paid homage to their former star with a tribute video before he was introduced as a Warrior for the first time since the Feb. 5 blockbuster trade that shipped him from South Beach to Golden State to join forces with Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
This, of course, came weeks after tensions rose between Butler and the Heat organization, specifically with team president Pat Riley.
After the 40-second video montage played on the jumbotron inside Kaseya Center, Butler officially was introduced as fans rose to their feet with a mixture of cheers and boos.
Butler, who had made it clear there was no love lost for the fans and the city despite his relationship with Riley turning sour, embraced the crowd right back.
While the video tribute had been in the works for a while, per multiple reports, the reception by the crowd stunned Marks.
“I would’ve done the video tribute, I still would’ve done that if I was the Heat organization,” Marks said. “Steve Kerr said it afterward, he was like it’s almost like fair-weathered fans who are like, ‘Oh it’s OK. Yeah, I quit on you in the middle of the year. He went to Golden State. He got his money. And now this is…
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Publish date : 2025-03-26 11:08:00
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