Former WNBA Star Bashes Jimmy Butler, Calls Signing With Miami Heat ‘Loser Move’

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Lisa Leslie is considered one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.

In 12 seasons in the WNBA, all with the Los Angeles Sparks, she averaged 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. Over her professional career, she won two WNBA championships and four Olympic gold medals.

She has always seemed classy and complimentary in the public eye, but she recently made some not-so-flattering comments about Jimmy Butler deciding to leave the Philadelphia 76ers to join the Miami Heat.

Coming off four consecutive All-Star selections, Butler was traded to the 76ers early this past season after he expressed his discontent with playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 55 games in Philly, his numbers dipped a bit from previous seasons to 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

He was still considered a vital part of a 76ers team that came a couple of bounces away from defeating the eventual world champion Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, as he became their designated go-to guy in crunch time.

Instead of staying in Philly and playing for a team that likely would’ve been considered the favorites of the East to reach the NBA Finals, he chose to bolt to Miami and become “the man” on a young team that, unlike the 76ers, is devoid of any other All-Stars, a decision which apparently drew the ire of Leslie.

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Robert is a native of Santa Monica, Calif. and a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been an avid NBA fan since he was a little kid in the mid '90s, and during that time he has lived through the Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James era of Heat basketball. He feels strongly that the NBA and sports aren't just entertainment, but also a means for learning life lessons.