Insider reveals Jimmy Butler's striking similarities with his $400,000,000 "best friend" Mark Wahlberg

Jimmy Butler is enjoying his first month with the Golden State Warriors after his acquisition from the Miami Heat at the trade deadline. One NBA insider revealed the key to Butler's success in San Francisco, referencing his friendship with actor Mark Wahlberg.

On 95.7 The Game's Willard & Dibs, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne shared some information about what's going in with Butler's tenure at Golden State. Shelburne brought up Wahlberg's influence on the 35-year-old star, including waking up early to get things done.

"Jimmy is an up at 4:30 in the morning guy," Shelburne said."Did you know one of his best friends is Mark Wahlberg?," Jimmy said, 'The reason I love Mark Wahlberg so much is that he has everything, but he works like he has nothing.'"

Mark Wahlberg might have a net worth of $400 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth), but he still works harder than everybody else. His work ethic rubbed on Jimmy Butler, who became close with the Hollywood actor early in his time with the Chicago Bulls. They have been friends ever since, with Wahlberg attending some of Butler's games.

Apart from Wahlberg's influence, Butler's success can also be attributed to the Golden State Warriors' philosophy for their veterans. Ramona Shelburne revealed that coach Steve Kerr and his staff trust their older players so much that they gave them a "Get What You Need" day.

"They have off days and tell the veterans, 'It's a get what you need day. We're going to trust that you know what you need and you're not going to be lazy.' ... I think that's so refreshing for a guy like Jimmy. You don't need to push him."

The Golden State Warriors are 12-2 since Jimmy Butler's debut on Feb. 8 and are 12-1 with him in the lineup. The Warriors are sixth in the Western Conference, at 37-28. They are 4.5 games behind the No. 2 spot, which was nearly unthinkable during their struggles in December and January.

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Jimmy Butler praised Mark Wahlberg on JJ Redick's podcast

Before JJ Redick became the coach of the LA Lakers, he had a podcast called The JJ Redick Podcast on The Ringer. It was before the launch of The Old Man and the Three with Tommy Alter.

One of their guests in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down was Jimmy Butler, who called Mark Wahlberg the "realest" human being he has ever met.

"He's one of the realest human beings that I've ever been around," Butler said. "He works every single day like that like he has nothing, and it’s inspiring."

Butler and Wahlberg met in Chicago when Wahlberg was filming Transformers in the Windy City in 2013. They have been close ever since, from supporting each others' projects to playing pickup basketball games in the offseason.