Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is known as a huge competitor on the hardwood, but it seems like his passion for competition extends beyond basketball.
The six-time NBA All-Star recently took to social media to challenge former Heat star Dwyane Wade to a battle in a niche racquet sport called padel.
“Dwyane Wade, I’ve touched down in Los Angeles,” Butler began. “I challenge you, yes I do, to a match of this padel. … Accept my challenge, chump!”
Wade responded humorously via social media.
Padel appears to be similar to pickleball in certain ways, with players facing off in singles or doubles matches.
It looks like Butler is involved with the Reserve Padel Instagram page in some way, as the Heat star can be seen in multiple posts on the page.
Wade has also appeared in previous posts on the social media page.
It’ll be interesting to see if Butler and Wade truly do find time to play against each other.
Butler is surely making the most of what remains of the NBA offseason. It won’t be long before the veteran finds himself back in the swing of the NBA regular season.
Last season, Butler led the Heat to a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. The team came up one win short of a bid to the NBA Finals. Without a doubt, Miami is looking to take the next step this season.
Butler averaged 21.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game last season while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from beyond the arc. Like he often does, he turned things up a notch in the playoffs. He averaged 27.4 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting from the field and 33.8 percent shooting from deep in the postseason.
The Heat haven’t had the offseason they were likely hoping for, but Miami’s roster is certainly capable of making some noise in the upcoming season. Time will tell if the squad has what it takes to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference once again.