Jimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors greets fans after defeating the Houston Rockets, 103-89, at Toyota Center on May 4, 2025, in Houston.
The Golden State Warriors’ Game 7 victory Sunday not only secured the team a spot in the second round of the postseason; it also reignited one of the league’s most prolific feuds: Jimmy Butler vs. the entire Timberwolves fan base.
It’s hard to imagine fans being more actively excited to face a playoff opponent than Minnesota sports fans are to see Butler and the Dubs in the second round. The history goes back to just before the 2018-19 NBA season. Butler, then 28, had just finished an All-NBA season with the Wolves, a team he helped make its first playoff appearance in 13 years, and had made his fourth straight NBA All-Star Game. But the success didn’t carry over into the vibes, as just prior to training camp, he requested a trade from the team and insisted he wouldn’t re-sign with Minnesota in the offseason.
A sudden trade demand would sour any fan base to a player, but the saga dragged on for weeks, widening the rift between the sides. After an extended absence from the team, Butler infamously showed up to a preseason practice and demanded to take on all of the starters with a team of third-stringers — he won — and then went on ESPN to gloat about it. Butler also missed three games during the early portion of the season for health reasons described as “general soreness,” although many presumed it was contract related, even with then-coach Tom Thibodeau’s insistence that it wasn’t.
The forward finally got his wish but not without a burnt bridge behind him. Fans turned on Butler, giving him a cheeky military moniker of “General Soreness” and booing him mercilessly at his first game back in Minnesota. Games against the Wolves became tense affairs from there on out, featuring a couple of notable confrontations between Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, who was part of the infamous Wolves scrimmage, and Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota fans will be quick to point out that when it comes to games in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Butler hasn’t shown up for years — which is not an exaggeration. While the 35-year-old has faced off against the Timberwolves multiple times since his trade, Butler himself has not played in Minnesota since Nov. 24, 2021, leading to many fans believing he’s purposefully avoiding the Wolves’ arena and their fans. He has, however, been in the building in street clothes, which leads to the Minnesota crowd chanting “Where is Jimmy?” during games. Butler blew a few kisses into the crowd in response.
Since his messy divorce from the Wolves, Butler has gone 3-4 in the seven games he’s played against Minnesota. That’s all there is to know from the Dubs star’s side of this feud, as he told reporters after Sunday’s win, “Don’t ask me about Minnesota.”
His feelings will probably be clearer Tuesday for Game 1, which is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. on TNT.