Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler’s very real Michael Jordan complex

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were meant to be together, that is undeniable. Perhaps that is rooted in his Michael Jordan complex, whom Pat Riley idolizes.

The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler have always seemed destined to be one. They just fit.

If it wasn’t enough that Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat stand for the same things as individual pieces, then the seamless fit that has been his first season in Miami should be enough to convince you that it was just meant to be. Perhaps it’s even deeper than that though.

The shot caller for the Miami Heat is none other than the Godfather himself, Pat Riley. It is a well-known fact that due to his respect, admiration, and revere for Michael Jeffrey Jordan, the man that is the greatest basketball player to ever lace up his sneakers, his number 23 jersey is also one of those retired to the rafters of the American Airlines Arena.

Perhaps there is also another link there. Something that Pat Riley may have been privy to that we all weren’t, is the fact that other than being drafted by and becoming a star with the Chicago Bulls, Jimmy Butler and His Airness had quite a bit more in common. Most importantly, it was that Jimmy had that Michael Jordan complex.

In case you are unfamiliar with what we are speaking of, it is also a well-known fact around the basketball and NBA worlds that Michael Jordan used to make up things to “be mad at”, or things to motivate himself. This isn’t that uncommon or strange in his case, as when you’ve accomplished as much as he did, you often have to find things to keep you motivated outside of the norm.

Jimmy Butler also has this same thing about him. While it may have not come about or manifested itself in the same way, it is definitely there. Here is an example in this tweet from the official Twitter account of Bleacher Report that reveals two quotes about Jimmy, one from a current and another from a former teammate.

For Michael Jordan, being disregarded early on motivated him as an underdog, while he had to motivate himself as if he were the underdog later in his career due to his success. Jimmy Butler was the underdog for much longer and continues to use the motivation as the underdog to continue to propel himself to more greatness.

No matter how you look at it, it’s the same methods and incarnations being practiced in both scenarios. They both create narratives to keep themselves motivated it apparently works. Pat Riley could see the trees, while the rest of us just saw the forest.

Either view is fine because it was clear that they both showed that he belonged in Miami. The one that Riles saw, however, was framed by Jimmy Butler’s Michael Jordan complex.