Like Padel he is helping Jimmy Butler prepare for the Warriors season – NBC Sports Bay Area and California
Jimmy Butler is blocked and prepares for his 15th NBA season, but not the way you could think.
Warriors’ star was recently involved in the rapid growth of Padel, a sport for rackets practiced by two or four people in a closed court that combines tennis and squash elements. Butler is the honorary president of Reserve Padel of the Reserve Cup, which is an annual Padel tournament in Spain.
But butler’s involvement in sport is not only for the purpose of entertainment during the NBA offseason, since he explained how Padel is actually helping him to become a better basketball player.
“I am better on the basketball court for this, I mean,” Butler said on Friday during an interview on the CNBC “power lunch” from Spain. “Now listen to me: I like to practice so many sports different to train for any imminent season. This is another. So I would like to say that my greatest investment is that I will improve in basketball in all this for myself.”
Interesting.
Butler was exchanged with the Warriors at the NBA commercial deadline last February and in 30 games with Golden State, he scored on average 17.9 points with 47.6 percent of the field shooting, with 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 stolen in 32.7 minutes.
Furthermore, it is not a secret that Butler has revived the post-installation hopes of the Warriors, since the team has published a record of 23-7 with the six times NBA All-Star in training.
But now he is doing every little thing he can to engage with the Warriors in his first complete season with the organization, which apparently includes Padel, while further explained how sport could help improve his circle skills.
“Coordination eye-mano, reflections, being able to rotate when a ball comes out of the wall,” said Butler. “All the movement. All the air conditioning you do. See these guys elaborate, is super incredible. I don’t know if I have in me to do it for many direct sets, I will not lie to you. But it seems exhausting and can certainly help on a basketball floor, I promise you.”
Being involved in any physical extracurricular activity always places the risk of potential injuries.
And at the age of 36, Butler cannot run this risk while warriors are trying to go all in their winning mantra.
But Butler is taking appropriate precautions with Padel.
“Yes, of course. I don’t go very hard,” Butler explained. “I don’t know the details of the game like these professionals who have the opportunity to be around. Yes, I play, but I don’t go out. I’m not trying to hit the ball out of the arena. I’m not trying to run out and hit it.
“But I like to pretend to be a professional. I would like to think that I will soon be classified in the first place in the world.”
Warriors will need that sure mentality of translating from Padel Court to hard wood with the open of the NBA 2025-26 season about a month later.
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