Jaime Jaquez Jr. recalls hilarious Jimmy Butler incident involving an Ed Sheeran song
Miami Heat standout rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. has quickly built great chemistry with six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler. During an interview on JJ Redick's "The Old Man & The Three" podcast, the Heat rookie shared a hilarious incident with Butler when he started to play an emotional Ed Sheeran song before the start of a game.
Butler doesn't shy away from showing a different side to him. Whether it's making jokes with his teammates or showcasing his fanboy side of Ed Sheeran, Jaime Jaquez Jr. was certainly not prepared for it.
"One of the things that threw me off guard is like, I think it was maybe the second or third game," Jaquez Jr. said.
"We're getting ready and he's like playing Ed Sheeran to get himself ... get him hyped. I just though that was hilarious. ... He's playing like this sad Ed Sheeran song in the locker room, just blasting, and it just really threw me off guard."
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat used Ed Sheeran for motivation after ECF Game 6 loss
In an electric finish to Game 6 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were silent inside their locker room after losing the game 104-103.
ESPN's Nick Friedell talked about that environment on "Get Up" as one of the most important moments for Miami heading into the eventual 103-84 Game 7 win.
"That was one of the quietest locker rooms I've ever been in after a game," Friedell said.
"Now you have to understand, Jimmy Butler usually has that speaker bumping in that room — win or lose. ... Gabe Vincent walks over to his locker and he plays 'Life Goes On' by Ed Sheeran. And certainly, that's the mantra the Heat want to have going into Game 7 tonight."
Interestingly, Ed Sheeran's voice has always been a staple inside the Heat's locker room, especially with his 'Life Goes On' song, which talked about grief when the popular vocalist lost a dear friend in his life.
Similar to Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s story on JJ Redick's podcast, the Heat have embodied a unique choice of song catalogs whenever they win or lose a ball game.