Before Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat advanced to the 2023 NBA Finals, they were up on the Boston Celtics 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, but squandered that series lead and had to beat the Celtics in seven games. Coco Gauff used that as motivation while playing at the French Open in May 2023, when she went down a set during her first round match. “Honestly, today I told myself if Jimmy Butler didn’t freak out when they were up 3–0 and then all of a sudden it was 3-all, then I shouldn’t freak out from losing the first set,” she told The Tennis Channel following her match.
The bond between Gauff and Butler only strengthened later that year when she competed in the U.S. Open and the NBA All-Star became a fixture at her games. “I want her to win every single time,” he told ESPNW while being interviewed during one of Gauff’s U.S. Open matches in August 2023. In fact, Jimmy Buckets had a profound impact on the tennis star’s game.
“I learned a lot watching him, everybody counting him out,” she told The New York Post in August 2023. Gauff credited her NBA friend with the turnaround in her play. “It was really just the mental thing. That’s what I learned from watching Jimmy compete,” she added. Clearly, Butler was much more than just a spectator during Gauff’s run at the U.S. Open.
