Jimmy Butler Took Private Flights Separate From Team To Visit His Sick Father Before He Passed Away

Jimmy Butler is currently serving a seven-game suspension from the Miami Heat over multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team. One of Butler's reported transgressions was wanting private flights separate from the team but NBA insider Chris Haynes stated on the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz that he barely flew private and when he did, it was to be with his sick father.

"I do have some insight from Jimmy's camp," Haynes said. "... In the last five years, I was told Jimmy took less than five separate flights from the team and four of them were during the Finals against Denver when his father was sick. They're clearly trying to diminish I guess I should say the narrative that he was just flying privately and separately and frequently."

Well, the PR battle sure is in full swing at the moment. That initial report also stated that Butler skipped morning shootarounds on multiple occasions and portrayed him as quite an unprofessional character. Both parties are trying to paint the other in a bad light and you wonder what's the truth. 

What we do know, is that Butler's father, Jimmy Butler Jr., was battling a terminal illness for quite some time. It was revealed in Netflix's Starting 5 documentary that he passed away due to it on Feb. 8, 2024, just before the All-Star break. 

Butler took a leave of absence following his father's passing and ended up missing the last three games before the break. In the last game he played when his father was alive, he put up 17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, and a block in a 116-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 7.

Jimmy Butler Is Fully Prepared To Play For The Heat After His Suspension

Butler and the Heat's relationship seems to have completely broken down at this point, but it appears he doesn't have an issue with playing for them again. The 35-year-old has served six games of that seven-game suspension and Haynes reports he will make himself available to play once it ends.

"I'm told he is fully prepared to return and play for the Miami Heat if he has not moved by the time his suspension is lifted," Haynes said.

As things stand, Butler, who has averaged 17.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2024-25, will return in the game against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 17 at 8 PM ET. The Heat have gone 3-3 in the six games he has missed to get to 20-18 and it will be interesting to see how things pan out when he's back.

While Butler doesn't mind playing for the Heat again, he still wants out. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Butler reiterated to Heat president Pat Riley in a face-to-face meeting that he wanted to leave. The six-time All-Star is said to have made it clear he won't sign a new deal with them and will only opt into his $52.4 million player option for 2025-26 in order to get traded.

Heat officials will meet later this week in order to determine the best course of action in this situation. The NBA's trade deadline is on Feb. 6, so they don't have a lot of time on their hands.