Jimmy Butler has played alongside a lot of talented teammates across 16 NBA seasons, but none of them compare to the one he has now.Speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke at Warriors Media Day on Sept. 28, Butler was asked to reflect on the kind of longevity most athletes only dream about as he enters his 16th year in the league.
“My knee aches a little bit, but outside of that, I feel amazing,” Butler said, referencing his ongoing recovery from a torn ACL. “I’m super blessed to be able to play for some amazing organizations with some Hall of Fame players, and I can say I am probably with the greatest player that I’ve ever played with right now on this team, for the greatest organization. So, 16 years in, to end up over here with the Warriors — couldn’t ask for a better story.”
The claim carries real weight, given the group Butler is including Curry in. Drafted No. 30 overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2011, Butler shared a locker room with Derrick Rose during his six seasons in Chicago, later played alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, and spent six seasons...