Jimmy Butler has a new look, and even the Miami Heat were surprised by it.
The six-time All Star had a new look for Media Day and the NBA world immediately took notice.
The Miami Heat forward arrived for the team’s first official day of work this season with piercingsin his eye, lip and nose along with a new hairstyle and his fingernails painted black.
It’s become a trend of sorts for Butler, who went through the Media Day gamut last year with dreadlocks in a deviation from his usual look.
“I’m very emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like this. This is me,” Butler said. “This is how I’m feeling as of late.”
Butler gets his new hairdo brushed at the start of a TV interview, during the NBA basketball team's media day. Photo / AP
Coaches greeted Butler with smiles and laughs. Teammates, it seemed, were caught a bit off guard. Heat centre Bam Adebayo, who hadn’t seen his teammate before meeting with reporters, thought someone had been getting creative with photoshop when a reporter showed him photos of Butler’s look.
“That is not real. ... That is (expletive) hilarious,” Adebayo said.
Added Heat guard Tyler Herro: “He told me this was his Halloween today.”
It is still unclear if Butler will keep the look when Miami opens practice on Tuesday. The team will hold camp at Florida Atlantic University in nearby Boca Raton.
