“I love to be myself": Jimmy Butler's bold statement on embracing the weird and unmasking media day madness

Miami Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler created a stir once again during media day this season by coming in full emo look. He said it was his way of embracing who he is as a person and what he likes and just being himself.

The look, which saw him sporting straightened hair in a bright-shape color with side-swept bangs, drew laughs from teammates and journalists present on media day and spawned tons of memes since.

Butler said he was just being himself that day, not afraid of self-expression and having fun at himself. It is something he hopes others would take a cue from. As he highlighted, this emo lifestyle is something he does appreciate.

The six-time NBA All-Star told The Guardian in a recent interview:

“I love to be myself, I do. And I love to support other people, I do. I love to make people laugh, I love to make people smile. I’m not afraid to make myself look dumb or laugh at myself.”

Jimmy Butler went on to say:

“One of my biggest things is just to continually try and make people so comfortable in their own skin that they’ll unapologetically always be them. And [the media day looks were] just one step closer to that.”

Jimmy Butler may have been about having fun in the pre-season, but come regular wars, he has been game face.

In the ongoing season, the 13-year veteran out of Marquette has been steady for 21.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.8 minutes for the Heat, who are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 24-16 record.

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Jimmy Butler’s ‘emo’ look related to Heat missing out on Lillard sweepstakes?

While the ‘emo’ look he sported on media day was more about having fun and expressing oneself for Jimmy Butler, many still viewed it as a reaction to the Miami Heat’s failure to land All-Star Damian Lillard in the offseason.

‘Dame’ publicly wanted to go to Miami after spending 11 years with the Portland Trail Blazers. Efforts were made to bring him to South Beach, but in the end, nothing came out of them, with Lillard eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Many believed that Butler’s emo detour on media day was to express his disappointment over what developed.

One of those who thought that way was ESPN sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, saying the look the Miami All-Star forward had was in response to the missed Lillard deal.

Smith said on his podcast:

“Did anybody see Jimmy Butler because this brother didn't disappoint when he showed up to the Miami Heat's media day. I don't know what the hell an emo is to be honest with you… He’s going through a lot right now. He wanted Damian Lillard. They didn’t get Damian Lillard. There’s a lot going on with Miami right now.”

But so far, it has been good for the Heat, even without Lillard. They are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference and remain a force in the league, doing it through their trademark balance and hard work.