Jimmy Butler’s Journey with the Warriors: A Tale of Dominoes, Defense, and Determination
As Jimmy Butler boarded his first team flight with the Golden State Warriors the day before his Feb. 8 debut against the Chicago Bulls, he carried with him a piece of his past that he rarely travels without—his dominoes. This simple game is more than just a pastime for Butler; it’s a cherished connection to his late father, Jimmy Butler Jr., who passed away a year earlier. His father, a truck driver, introduced him to the game, teaching him strategy, observation, and the art of winning.
“It’s funny because that’s how me and my dad would hustle people,” Butler shared with ESPN. “We would play against some grown folks and they’ll bet five dollars. … And my dad would be like, ‘All right, I’ll take my son.’ And everybody would be like, ‘Oh man, come on man! That’s no challenge! We gonna beat up on y’all.’ Sometimes we would lose, but majority of times we would win.”
Butler fondly recalls how his father would set up the dominoes exactly as they were during a previous loss to explain his mistakes. “His mind was so good with numbers and dominoes,” Butler said. “Like mine is now, which is definitely what I got from him.”
These lessons have transcended the game of dominoes and found their way onto the basketball court. Butler has become adept at reading opponents, picking up on their frustrations, and using these observations to his advantage. “It’s from the person that made me Jimmy Butler III,” said the Warriors forward, who added the generational suffix to his name and jersey to honor his late father when he joined Golden State.
Butler’s first opponent in dominoes on the team flight was Draymond Green, who had been eagerly awaiting this match. Since then, the two have played 19 NBA games together, forming a bond that has significantly impacted their performance as teammates.
When the Warriors traded with the Miami Heat for Butler on Feb. 5 and signed him to a two-year, $111 million deal, they were betting on him to revive a faltering season. The gamble has paid off: The Warriors have gone 16-3 with Butler, climbing to sixth place in the Western Conference and just two games away from securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Heat have struggled, going 5-17 since the trade and recently ending a 10-game losing streak, their longest since 2008.
As Butler returns to Miami on Tuesday after a tumultuous breakup, the six-time All-Star has not only revitalized the Warriors but also developed a chemistry with Green that could be pivotal for the team’s success this season.
“Two winners that would do anything to win,” Butler told ESPN about his relationship with Green. “He could care less about personal success. He’s just trying to win a championship.”
Green had been waiting nine years for this game of dominoes above the clouds. When Green played with Butler on the USA Basketball team that won gold in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, they spent time playing the only version of dominoes Butler played then—”nine no pull.” Butler dominated Green, something the competitive defender didn’t forget. Since then, Green has improved his dominoes skills, even playing online against friends.
Butler, however, remains a master of the game. “It’s like basketball. You know how to see plays before they even come,” Green told ESPN. “You can read the dominoes based off of what someone is playing. You have to manipulate the dominoes to get what you want out there to put the other person in a tough position. He’s really f—ing good.”
After countless hours of playing on team flights and in hotel rooms, Green finally earned his first win over Butler. But the real breakthrough happened between those domino sessions. The two shared long, deep conversations about their backgrounds, how they were overlooked in the draft, and how they can be misunderstood.
- Butler was passed over by 29 teams in the 2011 draft.
- Green was skipped by 34 teams the following year.
Their conversations often stretch into the early hours, sometimes causing them to forget to eat dinner. Butler mentioned they spent nearly six hours playing dominoes with locals at his Big Face coffee shop in Miami on Sunday.
“You heard all these stories about Jimmy Butler’s story,” Green said. “But I’ve never really heard the full story. I just heard bits and pieces of it. So I’m kind of using this time to get to know his story.”
Butler and Green have found common ground in their shared experiences and criticisms. “We got a lot in common with kids, our love for basketball,” Butler said. “Small town individuals that happen to end up on a big-time college basketball squad, late draft picks that have overcome everything to become who they are today.”
During a 114-102 win over the Knicks on March 4, Butler saw Green yelling at a fan in Madison Square Garden and walked over to calm his teammate. “If I know what makes you click, I know how to calm you down,” Butler said. “I know how to get you fired up.”
Butler’s connection with Green has been a significant factor in the Warriors’ recent success. Since Butler’s debut, the Warriors are second in the league in defensive efficiency (108.6), behind only the Detroit Pistons (108.5). The Warriors were 10th in that category before Butler’s arrival.
Butler and Warriors coach Steve Kerr say the Warriors discovered something in the second half of that win in New York. Coming out of halftime, the Warriors outscored the Knicks 67-47, playing the kind of two-way ball Kerr has been preaching. Butler, with the ball flowing through him in and out of the paint, had 13 of his 19 points and three of his four assists in that half.
“We turned the f—ing corner [that] night,” Butler said. “Talking about give me the ball and letting me play certain ways. … We figured something out. I’m much more efficient and I’m harder to guard when I get to do more than one thing besides isolate.”
The instant defensive connection between the two Warriors reminded Kerr of Green’s championship pairings with Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala. But as he thought about it a little bit more, Kerr likened Green and Butler to another elite defensive tag team.
“Pippen and Jordan,” Kerr told ESPN of his legendary former Bulls teammates. “Just incredible intelligence and athleticism combined with versatility. There’s definitely some of that.”
After Butler’s first game as a Warrior ended with a 132-111 comeback win in Chicago, Kerr compared Butler’s aura and swagger to a “lion.” It’s a description Kerr says he got from Green.
“Two lions are better than one,” Warriors guard Gary Payton II said.
The Toronto Raptors were looking to stun the Warriors for a second time this season last Thursday night with Curry in the locker room after a scary fall in the third quarter. Curry would sit out the rest of the game with what was later ruled a pelvic bruise and sat out Saturday’s loss in Atlanta (he is questionable to return Tuesday).
Jamal Shead was pushing the pace when he saw an open Ochai Agbaji streaking toward the basket. The Raptors’ point guard fired a lob from half court only to watch Green fly in and deflect the pass, preventing an easy score that would have cut the Warriors’ lead to one with 1:57 left.
Later, down three with 20 seconds remaining, Shead once again thought he had an opening after beating Brandin Podziemski toward the basket. But this time, Butler made a leaping game-sealing block on Shead at the rim.
As the Chase Center buzzed, the Warriors’ newest star walked toward half court and pointed at Green. “I got you!” Butler yelled at Green, who chest bumped and roared back at his teammate. “I can do it too!”
In the span of a minute and a half, Green and Butler slammed the door on the Raptors for a 117-114 win.
“Draymond just fight. Draymond just got a will,” Butler said. “He is not the tallest guy. He don’t got the longest of arms, finds a way. I’m not here to say that [former teammates] Bam [Adebayo] not this or that Joakim [Noah] not this. That’s not what I’m doing. I’m just saying that motherf—er just gets it done. Like real defensive player of the year s—. How can you argue with it?”
Butler has been as much of a boon for Curry on the offensive end of the court as he has for Green. Before Curry’s pelvic injury, Butler stabilized the non-Curry minutes—the Warriors were a plus-60 when Curry wasn’t on the court. And the Warriors have a 74% assist percentage since Feb. 8, the highest during that span, which would also be the highest assist percentage over a full season by any team since 1953-54, according to ESPN Research.
The Warriors are 7-2 in clutch-time games with Butler, who delivered his second triple-double as a Warrior with 16 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds to close out the Raptors with Curry in the locker room. He isn’t in “Playoff Jimmy” form just yet as he went 4-for-15 shooting, including 1-for-11 in the fourth quarter. But it was his presence inside that opened up the game for others and his defense—he had two steals and two blocks—that helped save them that night.
“I think [it’s the] the disruption,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau when asked how Butler would pair alongside Green. Thibodeau was Butler’s former coach with Chicago and Minnesota. “Their ability to think on their feet is really good and their anticipation. … Draymond’s unique because they’re not sacrificing defense when he’s at center. His ability to read plays, his anticipation, the way he roams and is so disruptive off the ball. Jimmy in a lot of ways is very similar.”
Curry has been looking for another star to help alleviate the offensive pressure. And Green has found another elite defender who wants to win just as badly as he does.
“For a team that’s beaten up on everyone for so many years, everybody wants to crush you,” Green said. “And sometimes you just need reinforcement. You need backup that’s not falling in line. You need backup that come with their own s—, backup that come with their own fear implemented around the landscape. We needed it. We’re both smart. And we’re both heartless … heartless when it comes to the opposition. He rewrites the book, which also rewrites the possibilities of things that can be done here.”
Originally Written by: Ohm Youngmisuk
