Jimmy Butler breaks his own NBA media day tradition

Jimmy Butler has been known for pulling off some ridiculous looks over the years, but fans were recently left disappointed when he looked “normal” for Miami Heat media day.

On September 30, NBA fans patiently waited to see what hairstyle the basketball forward would be sporting for the team’s version of picture day. In recent years, Butler has pranked his teammates by drastically changing his hair for the team photo-op.

However, Butler showed up this year with not a single change made to his hair. “I’m here. Normal hair. No shenanigans,” he told a group of reporters when he arrived on Monday. “That’s all I got.”

The reporters then asked Butler what he wanted to do with his hair, to which he replied: “I don’t even know.” The athlete then spoke about being so busy that he considered himself lucky to have even made it to media day at all.

Many people were quick to take to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions to the professional basketball player’s hair, expressing both shock and disappointment that he broke his own tradition.

“Jimmy Butler showing up to media day normal is making me so sad,” one person wrote on the platform.

“Jimmy showing up to media day with normal hair has me REELING,” another X user wrote.

A third commenter viewed Butler not participating in his usual prank as a sign of his intentions to take the upcoming basketball seriously. “Jimmy Butler showed up normal for media day it can only mean he’s locked in for the season,” the post read.

Last year, the Miami Heat player showed up to media day in what he decided to call his “emo” look, as he wore his hair straightened with black nail polish and various piercings on his nose, eyebrows, and lips. It was assumed the new persona was a prank, as the forward was overheard telling himself to not “break character.”

“I’m feeling this,” Butler said, according to the AP at the time. “I’m very emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like this. This is me. This is how I’ve been feeling as of late.”

When his teammates were shown pictures of Butler sporting his new look, they were convinced that they were being pranked. “Ain’t no way that’s him,” Bam Adebayo said, per the Sun Sentinel. “What is wrong with him? That’s not real. He’s just misunderstood.”

The year before that, Butler was seen wearing long dreadlocks with the goal that the team would use the photos of him with his abnormal hairstyle for any promotional opportunities.

The prank has become so expected that some basketball fans place bets on whether Butler will use his real hair or fake hair in the photos, while others have admitted it’s their favorite part of media day.

“Surprised I haven’t seen odds (real or fake) for Jimmy Butler’s hairstyle,” one X post read ahead of Butler’s hair debut.

“Many teams have their Media Day today, and all the fans are hyped. All they’ll do is pose in their jerseys and give a few average answers. It seems like everyone has missed the league. I am just waiting for Jimmy Butler’s hair,” another tweet read.

The Miami Heat will begin their preseason on October 7, with the regular NBA season taking place from October 23 to April 13, 2025.