When Kevin Durant took a savage dig at Jimmy Butler's NFL admission - "He's an idiot"
Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler may have had many disagreements on the basketball court, but one of the most pointed digs came during the time they were teammates. And surprisingly, it did not involve basketball at all, rather the focus was on football and the NFL is particular.
During the 2016 Rio Olympics, both Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler were playing for Team USA. The team would go on to clinch the top medal position, but along the way there were some bumpy rides of their own making.
In one particular instance, Jimmy Butler said that he believes he is the best player in the team who is suited to play in the NFL. He even namechecked players like Demaryius Thomas and Antonio Brown, who he could beat in the NFL.
“I really love you gave me football I think I'm really good at it. I could probably um take Demaryius Thomas spot, Antonio Brown spot I told him they're lucky I'm playing the Olympics otherwise I would be getting a franchise tag with one of their organizations.”
He went on to say that in current circumstances, he could take to the NFL at that instant. He was asked:
"In this team right now, which players realistically could be in the NFL and why?"
He replied without missing a beat that it would be him. He added:
“Me, like I'm very serious and I think if you were to ask people that aren't haters, which everybody on this team is, it'd be me. Because I'm fast and I have great hands I can really catch.”
Even though he qualified saying he already knew how his teammates were going to respond, once his assertions were revealed, some of them were diplomatic in their response but Kevin Durant was not. He called him an idiot and even called him out and said that to his face.
What were Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler doing talking NFL?
When playing in the Olympics, one would expect both the players to be wholly focussed on the job at hand. However, the topic came up because Jimmy Butler had a ball signed by Demaryius Thomas with his Denver Broncos number on it. Their friendship persistent even after the NFL player's untimely demise.
I asked @JimmyButler about the significant amount of time he’s spent in Denver cheering for his close friend @broncos legend the late, great Demaryius Thomas…
He certainly has plenty of love for D.T!
@KOAColorado #BroncosCountry #MileHighBasketball #HEATCulture #NBAFinals https://t.co/edG8uhbuOm
It created quite the situation, albeit light-hearted, where Kevin Durant could not but help hide his contempt for how his compatriot overestimated his abilities. Right now, though, Jimmy Butler will be focussed on winning the NBA Championship with the Miami Heat.