Jimmy Butler completed his China vacation by announcing exclusive new Li-Ning sneakers and accepting the dubious gift of a ‘cotton basketball.’
Jimmy Butler, dubbed Jimmy Buckets, recently completed his China tour by revealing his newest trademark shoes with Li-Ning.
Butler took a temporary break from the Miami Heat to participate in a ten-day promotional tour. Following stops in Beijing, Taiyuan, Xi’an, Chongqing, and Guangzhou, he completed his mainland tour with a stop in Guizhou, China’s rural basketball capital.
One video from his tour went viral after a fan accidently smacked JB in the face with a shoe.
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Butler was onstage at a Li-Ning event in Taiyuan autographing sneakers for fans when an audience member hurled a shoe up to be signed, accidently rebounding it off the NBA player’s face (slide 5 above).
Butler was definitely taken aback, but quickly laughed it off, signed the shoe, and returned it to its rightful owner.
“Probably my favorite part about the whole thing,” he subsequently quipped on Instagram.
On this tour, Jimmy Butler became the first NBA player to visit Guizhou, China’s ‘country basketball’ capital. Guizhou is the birthplace of a famous basketball competition known as ‘CunBA’ — cun, which literally means ‘village,’ and ‘BA,’ as in ‘National Basketball Association.’
Thousands of people gathered to watch Butler dunk. He received a cotton basketball as a symbolic gift from 81-year-old Lu Dajiang at an elementary school after conversing with admirers.
The gift prompted some debate online, with some viewers questioning if cotton was the appropriate gift for a black basketball star from the United States.
“Butler looks unsure about the cotton in his hand,” one commenter observes.
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“His face is like, hmmmm…” said another person.
Others, on the other hand, defended the gift and condemned any historical interpretations.
“Our cotton symbolizes the wisdom, diligence, and simplicity of the working people,” one user remarked. “There is nothing to do with blood, tears, or oppression.” This is a wonderful gift!”
“Those histories have nothing to do with us,” another person wrote. “However, if a white person gave JB that gift, he’d be furious.”
Butler returned to Hong Kong during his visit, pausing in the industrial/residential district of San Po Kong to play with fans and hand out free Li-Ning sneakers to skill contest winners.
“Always give all you have when doing what you love,” he advised. “Never, ever, ever let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do.”