The Miami Heat forward arrived for the team’s first official day of work this season with piercings — eye, lip and nose — along with a new hairstyle and his fingernails painted black.
It’s become a trend of sorts for Butler, who went through the Media Day gamut last year with dreadlocks in a deviation from his usual look.
”I’m very emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like this. This is me,” Butler said. ”This is how I’m feeling as of late.”
Coaches greeted Butler with smiles and laughs. Teammates, it seemed, were caught a bit off guard. Heat center Bam Adebayo — who hadn’t seen his teammate before meeting with reporters — thought someone had photoshopped something when a reporter showed him photos of Butler’s look.
”That is not real. … That is (expletive) hilarious,” Adebayo said.
Added Heat guard Tyler Herro: ”He told me this was his Halloween today.
That said, Popovich does have a specific plan when it comes to the team’s travel arrangements.
”If there are people hanging on the top of the bus, we’ve got to get them off,” Popovich said. “Short of that, we’ll be OK.”
Also, after a summer when Wembanyama’s height was oft-discussed — 7-foot-4? 7-foot-5? — the Spurs are still listing him at 7-foot-3.
