Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler got slapped with a one-game suspension after an intense fight erupted against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he likened it to doing time in jail on his Instagram story.
Butler landed in the NBA’s doghouse after retaliating against Pelicans forward Naji Marshall’s attempt to choke him.
The reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP was standing near the basket when his teammate Kevin Love committed a hard foul on Pelicans star Zion Williamson.
Marshall came to Williamson’s defense and shoulder bumped Butler, which led to both players exchanging words, and hands right after. Once Marshall wrapped his hand around Butler’s neck, all bets were off and the two sparked a large skirmish.
While Butler’s initial shove wouldn’t normally draw too much attention, his response to Marshall’s attack will have him riding the pine without pay for the Heat’s upcoming game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
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Butler comments on skirmish with Marshall on Instagram
The league felt it necessary to penalize Butler and Marshall for one game. The six-time All-Star hilariously retorted with song references to jail time on his Instagram story, including Akon’s hit single “Locked Up”:
Fans on X made memes of Butler’s jail reference in comical fashion, with one casting Butler and Nikola Jovic as Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in their classic movie Bad Boys.
This dude Jimmy Butler is not real LOL“Miami-Dade county Jail” pic.twitter.com/JvrgatwBy9
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) February 25, 2024
Other fans called the Pelicans role player out for even thinking to mess with Butler, given his history of altercations during his NBA career.
This marked one of the most intense quarrels in the league so far this season. Butler will look to ride out his time and get back on the court for the Heat on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.
