The NBA superstar and Miami Heat small forward Jimmy Butler is well-known for his love of NICKELBACK. He often plays this band’s music for his teammates, leading some to speculate whether this is a way of motivating them or punishing them.
In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, the Heat are winning 3-1, and Butler‘s enthusiasm for NICKELBACK has become a hot topic in sports media. Videos have emerged that suggest either argument.
ESPN recently interviewed one of Butler‘s teammates about his affection for NICKELBACK, and sources report that, after the Heat lost a game earlier this year, he played some of their songs for teammates and staff. Udonis Haslem, the Heat power forward, recalled one of the songs, though he couldn’t remember which one. He stated that Butler helped him to understand the song.
“He’s just explaining the song to me,” Haslem told ESPN. “A lot of times the reason why people might diss or whatever is ’cause they don’t understand the song or they don’t even give it a chance to listen. They just immediately sh*t on it. Once he started telling me what [NICKELBACK singer Chad Kroeger] was saying, and I started listening to it, then it all made sense.”
Trying to recall what Nickelback song Butler played, Haslem added, “Oh man, I can’t remember, but it’s something about it’s like, ‘Just give it your all’ or ‘Stuck between, rock and a hard plaaaace. It’s like rock and a hard plaaaace.’ Something like that.”
It could be that Haslem was referring to “What Are You Waiting For?” from 2014’s No Fixed Address?
