[Winderman] Jimmy Butler on saying he would never wear a Heat jersey: “I knew I was going to end up here way back then, so I said it then just so I could make the tablоids think I could predict the future. I’ve got so much love for Chicago. That’s where I first learned to hatе the Miami Heat.”

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The trips to Chicago still remain special for Jimmy Butler because they mean a chance to spend time at one of his homes.

But they also stand as a reminder of something said, and then something otherwise done.

It was during his NBA emergence with the Chicago Bulls in 2013 when, in an interview with Chicago Splash, Butler was asked, to fill in the blank of, “The one thing I’d never wear ...”

His answer? “A Miami Heat jersey.”

Now, eight years removed from the comment, and having helped lead the Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals, Butler smiles about it all.

“I knew I was going to end up here way back then,” Butler said of the Heat to the South Florida Sun Sentinel ahead of Saturday night’s game against the Bulls at the United Center.

“So I said it then just so I could make the tabloids think I could predict the future.”

With the Bulls’ coaching staff completely overhauled and the roster rebuilt since his Chicago departure in the 2017 offseason, there is nothing like the antipathy still held toward the Timberwolves.

The Bulls, in fact, wound up with comparable quality in acquiring Zach LaVine from Minnesota in exchange for Butler, in the deal that also sent the draft rights of Justin Patton to Minnesota, with the Kris Dunn and draft rights of Lauri Markkanen going to Chicago.

“I’ve got so much love for Chicago,” Butler said with another Cheshire grin. “That’s where I first learned to hate the Miami Heat. And then when I left, I learned to love the Miami Heat, and the way that they do things.”

Essentially, learning to hate the Heat taught him to love his current employer.