Given how well he’s played this season, Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler likely doesn’t need any motivation to get going for a game, but he got some anyway thanks to a heckling fan on Sunday night.
During the Bulls’ 108-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, Butler was being heckled by a fan near the Bulls’ bench, and he apparently used the comments as fuel for an excellent fourth quarter performance.
Here’s a retelling of the story by ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell:
“A Grizzlies fan kept yelling toward Butler with the usual fare, that he was watching him, telling people around his section that he was getting into the All-Star’s head. After Butler rained down two consecutive jumpers in the final 60 seconds, giving the Bulls a lead they would not relinquish, he walked back to the bench and stared up at the fan with a bit of a smile on his face.
“How are you going to do that to me?” the dejected fan said.
“I’m sorry,” Butler responded. “I love you man.””
After the game was over, Butler was asked about the interaction with the fan, and he had a very simple response to the motivation he gained during the exchange.
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“I love it. That’s the reason you play the game,” he said. “(You) want to feel that pressure and deliver. It feels good.”
Needless to say, the Grizzlies fan yelling at Butler learned one of life’s most important lessons: sometimes when you poke a bear, you get a big swipe from its claws.
