Jimmy Butler has done a fair amount of jet-setting during the NBA offseason. First, he was spotted in London. While he was publicly there to watch eventual Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz, it appears Butler also snuck in a date with suspected romantic partner Shakira.
Now it appears that Butler is touring China. Embarking on what he is calling an "unexpected tour", Butler has been posting plenty of content about his visit on Instagram. It's unclear whether Butler underwent the tour independently, or if this was sanctioned by the NBA. The league has been attempting to capitalize on its popularity in China for several years. It was just during one of his daily recaps that Butler revealed that while shooting some hoops with some fans, someone had hit him in the face with a shoe.
Butler Laughs Off Shoe-Throwing Incident
“Man, what an unreal experience,” Butler said to the camera. “First of all, besides getting hit in the face with a shoe, which was probably my favorite part of the whole thing.” The video included footage of the incident, with what appeared to be a pink Croc gently bouncing off Butler's face. The incident occurred in Taiyuan, a city of around 5.3 million people in Eastern Central China. However, Butler seemed unharmed and, as mentioned, laughed off the incident as his "favorite part" of the outing. It's unclear how much longer Butler will remain in the country. However, back in Miami, trade talks regarding Damian Lillard have reportedly "stalled". The Portland Trail Blazers reportedly remain unconvinced by the offers they have been made by the Heat so far.
There is a long history of throwing shoes at people, though rarely does it happen in jest. One of the oldest shoe-throwing incidents occurred in 359 AD. The Roman Emporer Constantinus II was addressing a group of Limigantes in what is now modern-day Hungary to try and win their support. One of the group then proceeded to throw a shoe at him. Perhaps the most famous shoe-throwing incident occurred in 2008. George W. Bush was giving a speech in Baghdad when journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at Bush. Unfortunately, Bush was able to dodge both of them. In the sports world, few Florida fans will forget the shoe-throwing celebration that would ultimately cost them a 2020 game against LSU.
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