
Warriors' Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield have the best comedic chemistry of any NBA teammates
Warriors' Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield have the best comedic chemistry of any NBA teammates
Golden State Warriors teammates Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield already have something special developing in the months that they have played together.
Hield (who was traded to Golden State last offseason) and Butler (who was acquired by the Warriors at the trade deadline) have only played on the same team since February 8. But over the course of the past few months, they have continued to show fans that they have something intangible: Comedic timing.
During their postgame press conferences, the two players have continued to make reporters laugh with various one-liners and antics that would lighten the mood in any room.
Last night, following a big win over the Timberwolves, the two players naturally played off each other in a way that had even the most serious reporters chuckling.
Days after a silly exchange about Batman and Robin and Alfred, the duo continued a lighthearted silliness that was incredibly fun to watch, including Butler poking fun at Hield for wearing the wrong shorts.
More: Buddy Hield accidentally wore the wrong game shorts to start Warriors-Timberwolves
Butler also poked fun at Hield for his use of air quotes when the sharpshooter was describing the former Heat star learning to find joy in the game of basketball again.
Meanwhile, Butler also provided funny insights into frustrations about what it is like when Hield cuts to the basket:
They also had a discussion about their fraternal relationship, bickering like two brothers, as noted by Golden State's Gary Payton II.
This encouraged Butler to once again make a quip about Hield wearing the wrong shorts:
Butler has called Hield his "little bro" and the two have shared the court together for 500 minutes in the NBA, per PBPStats.
While it is still a small sample size, the Warriors have outscored opponents by 9.5 points per 100 possessions when playing alongside each other in the playoffs. That is one of the strongest two-man lineups of any combination for Golden State that has logged at least 50 minutes together in the postseason.
Butler has more assists to Hield (9) in the playoffs than he does to any other player on the Warriors, per NBA.com. Overall, Hield is also shooting two percentage points better on 3-pointers with Butler on the floor relative to when he is not.
More: Stephen Curry injury update: Will Warriors star miss Game 2 and beyond in NBA playoffs?
Both players will have to take a big step forward, especially if Stephen Curry is going to miss multiple games due to his hamstring strain.
Golden State's Draymond Green, however, has reiterated that he feels confident Butler is able to lead the team without Curry.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
42 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shaquille O'Neal says he'd average 50 points per game if he played in today's NBA
Shaquille O'Neal says he'd average 50 points per game if he played in today's NBA Back in the day, Shaquille O'Neal was the most feared player in the NBA, and many would say he was the most dominant player the league has ever seen, especially when one tries to compare eras. He led the league in scoring average twice and averaged over 26 points a game in 10 straight seasons, and he ended up making 15 All-Star teams and winning four championships. Most of his best years came with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team he spent eight seasons with beginning in the 1996-97 campaign. The game was played differently back then, as teams played at a very slow pace and more physicality was allowed by referees. There is a false perception that, while the game is faster-paced and less physical today, the NBA has become soft and that it is too easy to score. O'Neal seemed to agree with this opinion when he claimed on a recent podcast appearance that he would've averaged 50 points a game in today's league had he been in his prime (h/t Lakers Daily). 'Somebody asked me the other day what would I average — I would average 50,' O'Neal said. 'And the reason why I'd average 50 'cause I don't do what everybody else is doing. You shoot a 3 on me, Joker (Nikola Jokic), you better [expletive] make it because I'ma run right by you and stand in the middle of the lane and watch you and your whole [expletive] team go, 'Three seconds, three seconds, three seconds!' And Penny [Hardaway] gonna push that [expletive] and throw it, and I'ma dunk it. And I know for a fact I'll make 15 2s before you make 10 3s. 'I'm getting 30. I'm getting 30 every night. And then now when you foul somebody, it's a flagrant, so guys don't really wanna foul you hard. … That's another 10 points right there, and then I'ma concentrate on the [expletive] free throw, get that elbow there — that's 45 points right there. 'Oh, Shaq couldn't play in this league.' Shaq ain't known for defense. Okay, Joker, you can hit a 3, but again, I'ma run right by you, and I'ma seal my [expletive] in the lane, and ain't nobody moving me 'cause you know why? If you move me, you make my mama move out of her house, and that [expletive] ain't gonna happen.' This is certainly a high-scoring era in the NBA. During the 2024-25 regular season, teams averaged 113.8 points a game, and 13 of the league's 30 teams averaged over 100 possessions per game. By comparison, during the 1999-2000 campaign, when O'Neal won his lone MVP award, only one team averaged over 100 possessions a game, and only seven teams averaged even 100 points per game. But anyone — even O'Neal — averaging 50 points a game today would be a very tall order. The only player to ever do so was Wilt Chamberlain during the 1961-62 season. There were many more possessions back then than there are today, and teams averaged 118.8 points per contest. In addition, team defensive schemes were very much in their infancy. O'Neal's high-water mark in scoring was 29.7 points per game during that magical 1999-2000 campaign. That was the year in which O'Neal and the late great Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the first of three straight NBA championships.


UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
NBA interested in expansion, unlikely to shorten season
NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke to reporters before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday in Oklahoma City. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 6 (UPI) -- NBA team owners are interested in expansion and are expected to discuss the topic at a July meeting, commissioner Adam Silver told reporters. Silver made the comments at his annual news conference before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday in Oklahoma City. "We have an owners' meeting in July in Las Vegas," Silver said. "It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room. We have committees that are already talking about it. "But my sense is at that meeting, they're going to give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore it." "The goal isn't necessarily to have a different Champion every year, it's to have... parity of opportunity." Commissioner Adam Silver responds to the fact that the NBA will have it's seventh different Champion in seven seasons. NBA TV (@NBATV) June 6, 2025 The NBA currently consists of 30 franchises, with 15 in the Eastern Conference and another 15 in the Western Conference. The Charlotte Bobcats, who were rebranded as the Charlotte Hornets, became the NBA's newest team in 2004. The 21-year period since the Bobcats joined the league marks the longest time the NBA went without adding a new franchise. The NBA added six franchises between 1988 and 1995; the Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies. "There's been no lack of interest," Silver said. "Certainly I've gotten a lot of unsolicited calls. I essentially have said to people from several different cities, we're just not engaging in that process right now. I want to be fair to everyone. So I don't want to have meeting with some and not others. "So if we were to say yes, we're now going to move into a more formal exploratory phase, we would take those meetings and in addition likely we would engage with outside advisors who would look at markets, look at economic opportunities and media opportunities, et cetera." Silver said the league needs to "figure out something" when it comes to aligning expansion with broadcast partners and in light of a "transition in media." "There's been disruption because there's been a dramatic decline in traditional television," Silver said. "The streaming services, which view themselves as national and global, haven't really localized in a way yet to do team-specific deals. But I think we're going to see that. "As I said, we will be fine because I have no doubt in terms of the value of that content." Silver said he didn't see the benefit of eliminating games from the schedule. but would be interested in potentially starting the season earlier and ending it later. "Money's part of it, there's no question about it," Silver said. "We're a business. Having said that, I don't really see the benefit to reducing the number of games. "People used to say you should reduce the number of games because it will lead to a reduction in a number of injuries. We have absolutely no data to suggest that. If that were the case, you would think you have more injuries in April than October. We don't see that. Or you would think you'd see more injuries in the playoffs than you do in the regular season. We don't see that either. "Another way of looking at the length of the season, if you think in terms of serving the fans, it's more opportunity for fans to go to games and to watch games." The commissioner also discussed the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, league parity, the length of the season and potential changes to the All-Star Game format, among other topics. Silver said that the NBA is "experimenting internally with different formats," when asked about a potential matchup between U.S. players and global talent instead of the typical All-Star Game matchups. "I don't think a straight-up USA versus World makes sense," Silver said. "That's not what they did in the NHL either. There probably will be some different teams we form. Whether it's some regional basis for how we combine certain groups of players, because USA players, who I talked about earlier, international is 30% of the league, American players are still 70% of the league. "I think we can play off that nationalism." The Pacers (1-0) will battle the Thunder (0-1) in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at 8 p.m. EDT Sunday in Oklahoma City. The matchup will air on ABC.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why are international players flocking to the WNBA?
NEW YORK — For a few minutes after a shootaround, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase sat on the sideline with French guard Carla Leite beside her. Nakase demonstrated different hand motions and signaled to her 21-year-old rookie guard. Looking to bridge a communication gap as much as possible, Nakase recognized Leite as a strong visual learner. 'Sometimes, it's not easy for me to speak,' Leite said. Advertisement More than any other WNBA franchise, the Valkyries roster is a global tapestry. Leite, who said her English is improving every day, is just one part of that. Golden State's opening night roster featured players from six countries. 'I have to learn French is what I've learned,' Nakase said. French is the Valkyries' unofficial second language. Rookies Janelle Salaün and Leite are natives of France, and guard Julie Vanloo, who is Belgian, speaks French fluently. Vanloo said she is 'available if needed' to translate. Rookie center Kyara Linskens, another Belgian, downplayed her French proficiency, though when asked by Nakase if she could speak the language, Linskens replied: 'un petit peu.' Translation: a little bit. (Perhaps Linskens is underselling her knowledge.) Some Valkyries assistants are even learning to count in French to connect with players. Advertisement While Golden State is the WNBA's newest and most worldly team, it isn't alone in its international presence. The number of foreign-born players in the league has continued to increase. At the start of this season, the league had 34 players born outside the U.S., up from 25 at the beginning of the 2023 season. Among this season's group, 18 were in their first or second WNBA seasons. A new generation of international players is showing newfound interest in the league — and vice versa. Twelve new roster spots for the addition of Golden State as an expansion franchise were only part of the surge. According to interviews with more than 10 players, executives and coaches, the WNBA's growing global presence, engaged fan bases, increased ownership investment and expected forthcoming salary increases also contribute to its growth. 'You're seeing more and more international players, more Europeans, wanting to come here and play because it's the most competitive league in the world,' said Cecilia Zandalasini, a Valkyries wing and native of Italy. Advertisement Since its inception, the WNBA has maintained a global presence, with the number of international players peaking in the early 2000s, when the league had three more teams than it does today. However, as the initial fanfare wore off and the league underwent a turbulent period, the number of foreign players declined. At the start of the 2011 season, the league had just 15 foreign-born players due to national team commitments, limited financial incentives, role adjustments and a desire to rest during the summer, which became some of the reasons the WNBA wasn't always the top choice for international players. Some of the world's most decorated European players of the last 15 seasons — Alina Iagupova, Alba Torrens and Laia Palau — never played in the WNBA. Yet, amid a period of transformational growth, international player interest has also increased. The WNBA is broadcast in more than 24 languages this season, up from 16 in 2022, with players tuning in to see packed arenas. (League attendance in 2024 was up 48 percent year-over-year, the highest mark in 22 years.) 'With the (increased) visibility of the league, it does make more sense that more girls would want to aspire to make it to the league,' said Valkyries center Temi Fagbenle, who is American-born but grew up in the United Kingdom. Advertisement Exposure takes different forms. Fagbenle loved tennis and didn't watch a WNBA game until she was 14. But soon after seeing her first game, reaching the WNBA became her goal. Sevgi Uzun, a Turkish guard who began the season with the Phoenix Mercury, turned pro at 16 and started practicing alongside WNBA players who competed in her native country during their offseasons. Although no Turkish women's basketball players were in the WNBA when she grew up, Uzun, as a developing prospect, received consistent encouragement from WNBA players about her potential ceiling. 'Kayla McBride was the very first one who told me you're different, you can do something,' Uzun said. (McBride first played in Turkey in 2017.) Multiple league executives also cited the 2024 Paris Olympics, in which both France and Belgium pushed the American team, as another demonstration of the high-quality international player pool. In recent years, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has discussed the desire to globalize the WNBA. Over the last decade, the league has had only three All-Stars born outside the U.S. (Australian Liz Cambage, Emma Meesseman from Belgium, and Jonquel Jones from The Bahamas). A younger generation of foreign players has taken notice of the league's global brand. Advertisement 'People are watching it more and are looking forward to being like, 'OK, this can be a goal,' ' said Mercury rookie guard Monique Akoa Makani, who grew up in Cameroon and France. By seeing Belgian guard Julie Allemand (L.A. Sparks) and French guard Marine Johannès (New York Liberty) make a WNBA impact, Akoa Makani found players she could emulate. 'I used to practice with them when they were pro in my local team, and at the time, I was looking up to them,' she said. 'When I saw them going to the W, I was like, 'We're kind of from the same place, why not (me)?' ' Johannès is among a group of international players who face a unique decision this month: continue playing for their WNBA teams or take a brief hiatus to compete in FIBA's EuroBasket tournament, which runs from June 18 to 29. Johannès sat out the 2024 WNBA season to play for France's Olympic team and will not participate in this month's tournament to remain with the Liberty. However, her New York teammates Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich are competing for Germany. The Liberty's absences pale in comparison to Golden State, as Salaün, Zandalasini, Vanloo and Fagbenle will participate in the event. Advertisement Fagbenle, the captain of Team Great Britain, hopes that FIBA and the WNBA will collaborate going forward, so that players aren't forced to choose between country and club teams. 'Two major entities that I would hope would want to work together to figure out a way to make things work for the players who want to play them both,' she said. 'I'm optimistic.' Earlier this month, FIBA announced it was shifting the 2030 World Cup to late November and early December, while the 2026 World Cup is set to take place in early September, creating a potentially significant scheduling conflict for the WNBA. The WNBA may take a brief hiatus just before the 2026 playoffs, although the scheduling specifics will also need to be collectively bargained with the players' association. The league's players, including top American players, may have to make difficult decisions ahead of the most critical time on the WNBA calendar. Faced with the decision to stay or leave for this month's EuroBasket, some foreign players have elected to remain with their WNBA teams. Golden State's Linskens and Leite are staying in the U.S. to focus on their first seasons. Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams will stay to compete in her first full WNBA season since 2022, and Storm rookie Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick in April's draft from France, will also continue her WNBA season. Advertisement 'I think my rookie season is important and I wanted to leave it all with the team,' Malonga said. Added Leite: 'I think everybody who is born in Europe is also now having the dream to come to the WNBA, so everybody's just super grateful.' Yet as more international players join the WNBA, an inverse situation is occurring abroad. Over the last 15 years, WNBA greats such as Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Sylvia Fowles played multiple winter seasons on professional teams in Turkey, China and Russia. However, the era of top Americans playing abroad appears to be fleeting. Unrivaled, the professional 3×3 league that debuted in January, provides players with a high-paying U.S.-based alternative. The result of American stars not going abroad is already being felt, according to first-year Connecticut Sun coach Rachid Meziane. Advertisement 'I think overseas domestic leagues are going down a little bit because there are fewer good players because the best players in the world are here,' said Meziane, who is the WNBA's first French-born head coach. Uzun spent the past season with the Turkish power Fenerbahçe, and she sees a change, too. 'It affects us, especially in EuroLeague,' she said. 'It does affect the quality of the league and the competition. But if you're gonna ask me individually, is (their presence) more important (than) their mental (health) and (spending time with) their families? I'm glad they can choose that now. They have enough power to choose that and make that decision.' Players from different continents now have more options than ever for professional play. But as it relates to the summer calendar, the pull of the WNBA appears stronger than ever before. 'Perception has changed,' said Zandalasini, who returned to the WNBA last year after a five-year hiatus. 'The WNBA is growing so fast, and there are fans definitely coming to every game everywhere, so it's more appealing as a league.' Advertisement — The Athletic This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company