Report: Pat Riley Cried In January Meeting With Jimmy Butler

According to NBA reporters Sam Amick, Jon Krawczynski and James Jackson of The Athletic, Miami Heat president Pat Riley cried during a January meeting with Jimmy Butler. 

Riley tried to convince Butler to rescind his trade request, but his efforts made things worse. 

“According to multiple league sources with knowledge of the meeting, tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he attempted to connect with Butler on a human level,” Amick, Krawczynski and Jackson wrote. “Both men had lost their fathers, and Riley’s famed toughness faded in the moment as he thought about Butler mourning his father’s death last season. But Riley’s vulnerability did not land with Butler. The player viewed Riley’s behavior as ‘unhinged,’ a league source close to Butler said.

“Butler left the meeting more convinced than ever that he needed a new basketball home. Team sources close to Riley say he promptly sent word that the meeting did not go well and was more motivated than ever to oblige. With that, any hope of an accord between the progenitor of Heat Culture and its modern torch-bearer floated off into Biscayne Bay.”

The Heat traded Butler to the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins. Butler, 35, finished his Miami career with averages of 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.4 blocks in 316 games. 

A six-time All-Star, Butler joined the Heat in 2019 and led the franchise to the NBA Finals twice. He now joins Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in Golden State. 

Butler agreed to terms on a two-year, $112 million contract extension with the Warriors that runs through the 2026-27 season.

“From Butler’s vantage point, Riley was ‘unhinged and disturbing,’ as a league source close to him described it,” Amick, Krawczynski and Jackson wrote. “More specifically, Butler told those close to him that the longtime team president referenced Butler’s recently deceased father several times during the meeting, offered ‘unsolicited and unwanted’ parenting advice and even shed tears before ending the meeting by telling Butler he loved him.”