Jimmy Butler has proven himself to be a unique talent during his 14-year NBA career. As good as he is as a player, Butler has proven to be just as adept at trolling.
Whether it’s opponents, teammates, local media or the entire league, Butler knows exactly which buttons to press and when. Butler’s latest act is a work in progress, with him adopting a 24-hour hairstyle to influence his look in media day photos.
The tradition began ahead of the 2022-23 season when Butler showed up at Heat media day with hair extensions. As a result, his photo, which appeared in all league and team promotional materials during the season, showed a fake lock and the long-lost third member of Milli Vanilli.
In 2023, Butler opted for lip and eyebrow piercings and an “emo” haircut, and chose a “balls out boy” persona to describe his “emotional” stage. For the second consecutive season, Butler’s looks produced a unique headshot that will be used throughout the 2023-24 season.
What does Butler have in store for 2024-2025? Here’s a look back at how Butler got to this point with a progressive timeline of his media day looks.
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jimmy butler hair timeline
Butler began his trolling tradition ahead of the 2022-23 season. He seems to have found a way to work the system and decided to have some fun with it, returning to the look fans are used to seeing on the first day of training camp.
Judging by his media day appearances during last season, Butler must have had a moment of troll enlightenment during the 2021-22 season.
Look at how things went.
Jimmy Butler 2021 Media Day Headshot
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Jimmy Butler 2022 Media Day Headshot
Jimmy Butler 2023 Media Day Headshot
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Jimmy Butler 2024 Media Day Headshot
Due to travel issues, Butler was delayed from arriving at Heat media before the start of the 2024-25 season. Although he was reported to be participating, Butler did not meet with the media at the same time as head coach Erik Spoelstra and teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
If there will be a new look specific to 2024, Butler has not yet revealed it. The nature of his travel plans may have prevented him from passing on the tradition.