Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat will soon swap the court for the studio, and the basketball for a microphone!
The NBA star told Rolling Stone in a new interview that he plans to release his debut country album, and has already been in the studio working on tracks!
Butler said he’s been “in the lab writing and producing country music” with some surprise collaborators. He said he has around 45 tracks so far, but there’s no set date yet for the album release.
“The date I want to do it always gets pushed back because this other job that I have, playing basketball, kind of overshadows everything,” Butler said.
Butler said he got hooked on country music in 2010 when his teammates at Marquette University kept blasting hip-hop in the locker room. He said he put on Tim McGraw’s song “Don’t Take the Girl” as a way to get back at them, and ended up loving it!
“It was an ever-winding road of musical talent. Now, you have country music that’s basically like hip hop or R&B. You have Dan + Shay who are singing these incredible notes. Now, in 2023, I’m knee-deep in it and try to see as many concerts as I can,” Butler said.
Butler just appeared with his team at Media Day sporting a new “emo” look, definitely not fitting with the “country” stereotype! The team is getting ready for training camp and preseason. He helped the Heat win the Eastern conference last season and made a run toward the NBA Finals, falling to the Denver Nuggets. Butler averaged 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game last season.
