Jimmy Butler college, draft class, hometown, Michael Jordan relationship and more

Jimmy Butler has been shined in the NBA Playoffs but where did the Heat star go to college, where was he drafted, is he related to Michael Jordan, and more.

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat were expected to be out after the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Heat’s superstar, however, had other plans.

Going on an otherworldly run in the postseason, Butler led the Heat not only through the Play-In Tournament, but then into the second round as the No. 8 seed, knocking off the top-seeded Bucks, then to the Eastern Conference Finals as well. After building a 3-0 lead over the Celtics, the NBA Finals are likely the next stop too.

With Butler leading the way in a massive manner, though, it has basketball fans wondering about his journey to the NBA, his rumored relationship to Michael Jordan and much more. We have the answers!

Where did Jimmy Butler go to college?

Jimmy Butler is most widely known for attending college and playing basketball for Marquette. However, that was not his first stop after his high school basketball career.

Butler was not a highly-rated recruit coming out of high school and went first to Tyler Junior College in Tyler, TX, where he averaged 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds as a freshman. That led to a lot of interest from bigger programs, eventually leading Butler to commit to the Marquette Golden Eagles. He went to the NCAA Tournament all three years that he was at Marquette, averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game in his senior season, the 2010-11 campaign.

Jimmy Butler draft class: When was he drafted and to what team at which pick?

Despite the star he’s gone on to become in the NBA, Butler was not a coveted prospect entering the 2011 NBA Draft. However, he was still taken in the first round, the final pick of that round to be exact, by the Chicago Bulls, who drafted him out of Marquette with the 30th overall pick.

While many people remember Butler’s draft class for being the year that Kawhi Leonard fell to the Spurs with the 15th overall pick, the fact that Butler fell to the Bulls with the 30th pick might be the even bigger steeal of the draft.

Is Jimmy Butler related to Michael Jordan?

Jimmy Butler is not Michael Jordan’s son, nor is he related to the NBA legend in any capacity.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a conspiracy theory popularized on TikTok and YouTube suggesting that Butler is Jordan’s son, but there is no validity to that. Butler is the son of Jimmy Butler II (he’s actually a III) and Londa Butler, with his mother raising him as his father left the picture in his early life.

At no point, however, was Michael Jordan ever in the picture either.

Jimmy Butler hometown: Where is Heat star originally from?

Butler was born in Houston on Sept. 14, 1989. He spent most of his life, particularly his teenage years, in the suburbs of the city, specifically the town of Tomball. He has been candid about his teenage years, noting that his mother kicked him out of the house when he was 13 years old, at which point he stayed with various friends.