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NBA’s Caron Butler On His Past, His Plans & Playing The Game

Uncensored, unfiltered and totally on point

Fourteen years in the NBA is no joke, but two-time All-Star Caron Butler remembers it all like it just happened yesterday. From his tough childhood and everything he had to overcome to finally stepping foot inside the court—he gave us a quick glimpse into his life and everything he has to look forward to.

Caron Butler’s childhood was far from picture-perfect. He took a few wrong turns and ended up in a situation that he would never wish on anyone. He fell into the corrections system and was quickly isolated and alienated. Caron was suddenly without his support system as the women in his family, who he often leaned on, were suddenly out of reach. This forced him to gather a sense of strength from within that he didn’t know he had. But despite all the hardships and mishaps, he told us he wouldn’t rectify any of it.

“I wouldn’t change anything. Otherwise I wouldn’t be right here.”

He knew he was unique. He knew it in those moments he acted differently on court; whenever he stepped right when everyone else would step left. It was in those instances he knew basketball could become a career and he rode it like a wave that would bring him to glittering shores. And while it eventually landed him in one sport’s biggest stages, the ride over wasn’t always a smooth one.

“You can’t [just] be a 37-year-old hero—you can’t jump [to] that.”

Basketball was a sport that Caron knew from childhood, but he treated it like an ever-changing landscape that he would never quit learning from. Sure, the talent may have been innate, but his skill had to be developed. And it was this level of dedication that brought him to nine NBA teams, seven Playoff seasons, two All-Star stints and one NBA championship.

“I love being an ambassador of the game.”

Now he’s using everything he’s learned to give back to the same sport that took him in. With unbiased analysis, on-point observations and first-hand knowledge, Caron is doing his part to educate current NBA players. So while we may not see him back on the court any time soon, we will definitely be hearing from him.

Adie Pieraz

grew up with numbers but fell in love with words by the time she reached her teenage years. She likes to surround herself with mellow music, delicious food and funny fail videos.