Jimmy Butler III is an American professional basketball player currently affiliated with the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Philadelphia 76ers. He plays both as a shooting guard and as a small forward. A native of Texas, Butler had a turbulent childhood. His father deserted the family when he was an infant and at 13, his mother threw him out of the house. Homeless, he was eventually taken in by one of his friends’ family. Butler began to demonstrate his inherent talent at basketball in his school days, maintaining an excellent average per game. However, he was not heavily recruited and hence decided to pursue a college education. Butler continued to play basketball and kept on performing well. In the 2011 NBA draft, he was selected by the Chicago Bulls as their 30th overall pick. Butler would go on to play six seasons for the Bulls and was instrumental in their NBA Playoffs appearances in five of those. In 2017, he was traded to Minnesota Timberwolves, whom he helped in reaching the playoffs as well. As part of the US basketball team, Butler earned a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2015, he was hailed as the NBA Most Improved Player and has been included in the NBA All-Star teams for four successive years.
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