Jimmy Butler reveals perhaps his most surprising Heat media day look yet

For the most part, NBA media day is a relatively low-key affair. Everyone talks, but few say or do much of note. We hear about how everyone is in the best shape of their lives, how well the offseason went and how excited they are about what’s to come. But on balance, it’s one of the more boring notable dates on the NBA’s standard calendar. That’s what made Jimmy Butler’s continuous hairstyle so funny.

Butler usually wears his hair in standard, short braids. However, when he arrived at media day in 2022, he had grown his hair out into much longer dreadlocks. A year later he arrived as Emo Jimmy, with straight hair and an eyebrow piercing.

Butler didn’t maintain these looks throughout the season, but he didn’t need to. The photos players take on media day are used for promotional images throughout the season. Those photos were essentially Butler’s image for the season in which they were taken, and it became a joke that fans looked forward to leading each media day. What would Butler do in 2024? A mohawk? A mullet? Some internet sites even offered opportunities with answers as crazy as a Jimmy Neutron haircut.

The moment of truth finally arrived on Monday and… Butler looked like his normal self.

While fans are certainly disappointed with Butler’s relatively tame choice, it makes sense why he’s taking the safe route. Butler is in a contract year, because he can become a free agent next summer via a player option. Heat president Pat Riley has spoken publicly about Butler needing to be more available if he gets a contract extension, and while he didn’t specifically comment on Butler’s hair, appearing normally at media day is a sign that he’s doing this all business-like. season. “I’m here,” Butler said. “No tricks.” He added that his travel plans — Butler’s flight from Paris to Miami was delayed on Monday — complicated matters.

While it’s not quite the same, we made at least one other fun hair decision to help us conquer Butler’s more traditional look. Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga appeared at media day with bleached blonde hair:

Perhaps the torch has been passed from one wing to another, but either way, Butler’s decision not to continue the trend was a disappointment to fans who had come to expect it.