Jimmy Butler is one of the NBA players who enjoys life the most off the court. He loves traveling and now even owns his own coffee business. His interests beyond basketball make him a very versatile man. Now, he has a new passion he recently shared on CNBC’s Power Lunch: padel.
Butler has always been open about sharing his hobbies and preferences beyond the NBA. Today, he is part of the growing padel community, and he stressed that it is not just a hobby. In fact, he assured it helps him improve his movements and basketball skills.
The versatility of the sport
According to The Sports Rush, Butler called CNBC from Spain, where he served as honorary president of the Copa de Reserva, a prestigious tournament featuring the world’s best padel players.
There, he admitted that he sees this sport as a major opportunity to enhance his performance in the NBA. “I can be better on the basketball court because of this… I like to play so many different sports to train for the next season. This is another one,” said the Warriors’ star.
Butler even explained how padel influences his game: “Hand-eye coordination, reflexes, the ability to pivot when the ball bounces off the wall… all the movement, all the conditioning you do.”
This represents a huge advantage for the Golden State Warriors, who need their star player as healthy as possible to remain one of the top contenders in the 2025–26 season.
Finally, Butler made it clear he is cautious with his health: “I’m not going too hard, okay? Yes, I play, but I’m not trying to dive into the sand, I’m not chasing the ball into the stands. I just like to pretend I’m a pro. I’d like to pretend I’ll soon be ranked number one in the world.”
