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Jimmy Butler has long been known for sporting outrageous looks, but fans were disappointed when he looked “normal” at the Miami Heat’s media day recently.
On September 30th, NBA fans waited patiently to see what hairstyle the basketball forward would wear for the team’s version of photo day. In recent years, Butler has pranked his teammates by changing his hairstyle dramatically for team photos.
But Butler showed up this year without changing his hair in the slightest. “I’m here. Normal hair. No pranks,” he said. told reporters when he arrived on Monday. “That’s all I got.”
Reporters then asked Butler what he wanted to do with his hair, to which Butler replied, “I don’t even know.” Afterwards, the athlete said he considered himself lucky to even be able to attend media day because he was so busy.
Many quickly took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions to the professional basketball player’s hair, expressing both shock and disappointment that he broke with his own tradition.
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Jimmy Butler breaks with his own media day tradition (Getty Images)
“It’s so sad that Jimmy Butler just shows up at media day,” one person said. I wrote on the platform.
“Jimmy showed up at media day with normal hair and I was horrified,” said another X user. I wrote.
A third commenter took Butler’s refusal to participate in his usual pranks to be a sign that he is serious about the future of basketball. “Jimmy Butler’s normal attendance at media day only means he is locked in for the season.” read.
Last year, the Miami Heat player showed up to media day wearing what he decided to call himself an “emo” man, with his hair styled with black nail polish and various piercings in his nose, eyebrows and lips. The new persona was thought to be a prank, as the forward was heard saying to himself, “Don’t break character.”
“That’s how I feel,” Butler said, according to the Associated Press at the time. “I’m feeling really emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like it. This is me. This is how I feel these days.”
When he showed his teammates a photo of Butler in his new look, they were convinced they were being pranked. “There’s no way that’s him,” Bam Adebayo said, according to the Sun Sentinel. “What’s wrong with him? It’s not true. He just misunderstands.”
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Jimmy Butler unveils ’emo’ look for Miami Heat media day in October 2023 (Getty Images)
The previous year, Butler was seen wearing long dreadlocks with the team intending to use photos of his unusual hairstyle for promotional opportunities.
The prank is so anticipated that some basketball fans are taking bets on whether Butler will wear real or fake hair in the photo, while others admit it’s their favorite part of media day.
“I’m surprised you haven’t looked at the odds (real or fake) of Jimmy Butler’s hairstyle,” said one person. Read X posts Ahead of Butler’s hair debut.
“A lot of teams are having media day today and the fans are all excited. All they do is put on their jerseys, pose, and give some mean answers. Guys. Looks like I missed the league. I’m just waiting for Jimmy Butler’s hair,” says another. Tweet read.
The Miami Heat will begin their preseason on October 7th, and the NBA regular season will be held from October 23rd to April 13th, 2025.
