IN PHOTOS: Jimmy Butler reveals first look at Li-Ning JB 2 signature shoe in ‘valley’ colorway
The past few years and especially this season, it seems like players are debuting new sneakers and sneaker designs left and right and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is the latest to do so. During his team's most recent game against the Phoenix Suns, Butler wore a new colorway for his Li-Ning JB 2.
The colorway, aptly dubbed "Valley," features a color palette similar to the Suns' colors. The shoe is predominantly black but features orange and purple highlights. Whether it is a coincidence or a conscious choice that he wore them while playing against the Suns is something to ponder.
Here is a look at some snapshots of Jimmy Butler wearing the Li-Ning JB 2 "Valley" at the Heat-Suns matchup.
The JB 2 is Jimmy Butler's second signature sneaker with Li-Ning. The Miami Heat star signed with the Chinese brand back in 2020 after previously being with the Jordan brand, joining Dwyane Wade as one of Li-Ning's brand ambassadors.
Butler's first signature shoe, the JB 1, was released in 2022 and various colorways for it were produced up until a year later. Then, in late 2023, the JB 2 was also revealed to the public.
Also read: "Gotta get back to having fun again": Jimmy Butler's joy reboot prescription after Heat's five-game slump
Miami Heat drops seventh straight game in match where Jimmy Butler donned the JB 2 'Valley'
The Miami Heat are hoping that they can get back to the NBA Finals again this season after falling to the Denver Nuggets last year. However, their high hopes are in peril right now, as they appear to have fallen into a massive slump.
After losing 118-105 to the Suns, Jimmy Butler and the Heat are now losers of seven straight and drop to a 24-23 record.
Butler played incredibly well, scoring a game-high 26 points on a 7-for-12 shooting clip from the field, including 2-for-2 from behind the three-point line. He also dished 4 assists and grabbed eight rebounds, doing everything he could to help the team get back in the win column.
He received plenty of help from the Heat's latest acquisition, Terry Rozier, who dropped 21 points while going 4-for-6 from deep (8-for-14 from the field).
However, the pair's high scoring output could not overcome Phoenix's efficient shooting, as they made 48.9% of all their field goal attempts compared to the Heat's 39.3%.
Things look bleak for the Heat right now amid their seven-game losing streak but it would be foolish to count them out, especially considering the position they were in last season.
They were the eighth seed last year and had to battle through the play-in tournament.
In the first round, they upset the #1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and then marched on to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they beat the Boston Celtics in seven games to make the NBA Finals.
With that run, Jimmy Butler and company proved that they are capable of overcoming challenges and are never out of the fight.