Heat announces hiring of Caron Butler as assistant coach, and ‘welcome him back home’
The Miami Heat made it official Saturday evening, formally announcing the hiring of Caron Butler as an assistant coach on Erik Spoelstra’s staff.
Butler, 40, fills the job vacated by the departure of Dan Craig to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Butler is the fourth former Heat player currently on Spoelstra’s staff joining Chris Quinn and former teammates Malik Allen and Anthony Carter. Butler was drafted by Miami with the 10th overall pick in 2002, spending two seasons with the Heat before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004 as part of a package to acquire Shaquille O’Neal.
“Caron has a remarkable personal story and is someone who is universally respected throughout the NBA for his character, dedication and work ethic,” Spoelstra said in a statement issued by the Heat on Saturday. “He brings a mental toughness and nearly 20 years of experience in the NBA as a player, broadcaster and media member that will make him a valuable asset to our coaching staff and players. Most importantly, he has Miami Heat DNA having started this journey with us and we are excited to welcome him back home.”
Butler is expected to join Quinn and Allen as the assistants on the Heat’s bench. Spoelstra’s staff also includes assistant coach Octavio De La Grana (also a player development coach), Carter (a player development coach) and shooting coach/player development coach Rob Fodor.
Butler appeared in 146 regular-season games (134 starts) in his two seasons (2002-04) with Miami, and was current Heat forward Udonis Haslem’s teammate for one season in 2003-04. Butler still owns the Heat rookie records for points scored (1,201), free throws made (309) and minutes played (2,858).
During Butler’s 14-year NBA career, he played for the Heat, Lakers, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings before retiring after the 2015-16 season.
Butler was on the Bucks’ roster when Giannis Antetokounmpo was a rookie in 2013-14. Antetokounmpo, who is expected to be pursued by the Heat if he becomes a free agent next offseason, recently revealed a lesson he learned from Butler as a newcomer to the United Stated after growing up in Greece.
“Over here is different — you gotta be careful,” Antetokounmpo said in August amid the social justice discussions that took place inside the NBA’s Disney bubble. “... Caron Butler told me that when you walk down the street, take off your hoodie. I was like ‘Why? Why should I take off my hoodie?’ He was like, ‘Just take off your hoodie.’ That was my rookie year. I didn’t understand it then, but I understand it now.”
Before taking his first NBA coaching job with the Heat, Butler served as a Turner Sports NBA analyst since 2018. He also worked as a studio analyst for Spectrum SportsNet’s coverage of the Lakers and worked as an occasional game analyst for the Washington Wizards during the 2019-20 season.
“That’s amazing,” Haslem said Friday when asked about Butler joining Spoelstra’s staff. “It’s something that coach Spo and I talked about. It’s something that I had gotten wind of early on and I was on board, man. Not that they needed my blessing, but I was on board. You talk about who we are and what we are and what we embody, Caron Butler is somebody who brought me up under his wing.
“They talk about OGs, Caron Butler, it sounds crazy because of how young he is but he was my OG. When I came into this organization, Caron Butler was somebody, even though I was from Miami born and raised, he was somebody who showed me what it was to be a professional. Not just a professional, but a professional for the Miami Heat.”
