Jimmy Butler didn't feel good about his three-point shot so he busted out a classic.
Jimmy with the Skyhook pic.twitter.com/0ml8BHV7Gm
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) November 21, 2023
Emulating Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's famous shot, Butler sank the shot, but unlike Kareem, Butler yelled, "Sky hook!" as he released the shot.
This could be a new era for Butler, who is a cold-blooded killer in the playoffs but a serious goofball during the regular season. After sporting an "emo" hairstyle for the Miami Heat's media day, now he's announcing his shots. Can we look forward to Butler shouting "Finger roll!" as he drives to the hoop or "Ill-advised stepback jumper!" when he rises up from deep?
After the game, Butler claimed that the hook shot was inspired by his shaky outside shot.
"I'm in a 3-point shooting slump right now, so I gotta go to what I know, which is the skyhook."
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) November 21, 2023
-Jimmy Butler pic.twitter.com/sW39X7L0OK
Of course, Butler isn't actually in a three-point shooting slump. He's making nearly 42 percent of his threes this season, and before Monday's game, he'd made 11 of his late 23 three-point attempts. This was more Butler "out there doing stuff" than an actual response to a slump.
Beyond trolling his old team with the sky hook, Butler also drew a foul with a pirouetting flop after Chicago's Zach LaVine lightly touched his hip.
Ain't no way pic.twitter.com/phMRF1qkEW
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) November 21, 2023
During the regular season, Butler picks his spots to score, as he did in Monday's first quarter, when he poured in ten of his 16 points. After that, Butler dished six assists in the last three quarters, but he didn't make a single three-pointer — or another sky hook.
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