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The story of how Jimmy Butler got his nickname

Originally posted on Chicago Bulls on SI | By Nick Raguz | Last updated Jan 7, 2024 3:48 PM ET

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler owns one of the most colorful and apt nicknames in the NBA: Jimmy G. Buckets. The nickname has become synonymous with Butler's hard work, grit, and determination on the court. But where did this unique moniker come from?

Stacey King takes full credit

It all began during Butler’s stint with the Chicago Bulls, the team that drafted him with the 30th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. According to Stacey King, the former Bulls forward who transitioned to becoming the team’s color analyst, Butler, who was in his rookie season, approached him and asked to be christened with a nickname.

“On the plane, he came up to me one day and said, ‘Man, you be giving everybody some cool nicknames. Why don't you give me a nickname?’ I said, ‘Jim, you only play, like, five minutes a night. You're not able to do nothing in five minutes. I can't give you a nickname. You got to earn that,’” King shared on the “Gimme the Hot Sauce” podcast.

Butler’s rookie campaign saw him play in only 42 games as the Bulls still had prolific guards Derrick Rose, Rip Hamilton, and Kyle Korver.

Earned his keep

However, Butler finally got to play in a lopsided game and went to town, scoring three straight baskets. King saw this as the ideal opportunity to give Butler his new nickname.

“Jimmy had, like, three buckets in a row,” King said. “So then I gave him the nickname 'Jimmy G. Buckets — the "G" stands for "gets.’”

"He came up to me the next day and said, 'Oh, man, that was dope. I like that nickname.' I said, 'Well, I hope you get more minutes, bro.'"

The tides soon turned in Butler’s favor as he became the new face of the Bulls, winning the Most Improved Award in 2015 and earning three All-Star berths in his six-year Chicago career.