Jimmy Butler defends Morgan Wallen's use of n-word, wants to perform with country star
Butler also says he plans to release a country album with 'real' artists
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In early 2021, a video surfaced of country star Morgan Wallen using the n-word, an act he apologized for, and certainly was not canceled for.
It was a big controversy for Wallen, whose career was just beginning to take off. But one of his good friends, Jimmy Butler, says it's a non-issue.
"Wasn’t no controversy for me," the Miami Heat superstar said in an interview to Rolling Stone.
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Jimmy Butler and Morgan Wallen are good friends.
Butler said he didn't see the video, but "I didn’t look much into it, and I’m not going to look much into it," adding that he knows the "Last Night" singer's true intentions.
"I don’t think he’s a bad human being in any way, shape or form. He is a friend of mine, and I don’t know what happened," Butler continued. "Obviously, it was a mistake, I think he learned from it, I think he knows better, and I don’t know what was said and in what context, but I think he’s an incredible human being who made a mistake."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He even tried to perform alongside Wallen when he was in Toronto for a concert on his birthday last month.
"I just want to sing one line of ‘’98 Braves.’ Maybe I’ll sing a whole verse!" he said.
A violent brawl broke at a Morgan Wallen concert in Pittsburgh. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Butler himself just helped the Heat get to another NBA Finals appearance, where he would blast Wallen's songs in the locker room. But whenever his playing days come to an end, he wants to join Wallen on the country music scene.
Butler said he "fell in love" with country music when he was a senior at Marquette. Normally listening to "Lil Wayne and Jay-Z," he got into the genre, and he now says to have 45 tracks with "real artists and songwriters."
"I don’t want to tell anyone who I’ve been writing with because then it’ll ruin the surprise. Now, I’m in the lab writing and producing country music," Butler said, adding that there is "definitely going to be an album."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That’s the goal. I just don’t know when. The date I want to do it always gets pushed back because this other job that I have, playing basketball, kind of overshadows everything," he said. "And maybe some of the songs will be down the line for my second or third album. I can’t wait to get it to the people."
Heat forward Jimmy Butler warms up before Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, June 9, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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For now, though, Butler's country music career will have to be put on hold – they kick off their season on Oct. 25.