Jimmy Butler has revealed that he enjoys watching some intense yelling, especially when it comes to his teammate Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr.
On Monday (Dec. 22), during the Golden State Warriors win over the Orlando Magic, Green and Kerr got into a heated exchange that resulted in the former storming out of the huddle and retreating to the locker room.
The pair have a history of on-court spats — most of which have all been in the name of passionate competition — and Butler was asked about his thoughts on the latest blow up between the pair after Golden State’s Christmas Day home win over the Dallas Mavericks.
"I like that," Jimmy Buckets told the press. "Y’all yell at each other. Turned me on a little bit, I’m not going to even lie."
Butler, who was fresh off contributing 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the win, then emphasized that intensity — and occasional conflict — is just a part of a winning culture.
"That’s just part of the game," he explained. "When you’ve been together for so long, you’re going to have arguments. It ain’t going to be quiet all the time, and it’s okay.
"You’ve got two fierce competitors that have won it together and that want to continually win. … And if you’re looking at me, I’m just looking up like, 'Alright, here we go.' I expect that to happen. That’s okay. We move on from it."
Steve Kerr has since apologized for his role in the bust-up, revealing that he and Green have made up and that its business as usual for the Warriors.
"Monday night was not my finest hour, and that was a time I needed to be calm in the huddle,” Kerr told reporters (via ESPN) on Wednesday (December 24). "I regret my actions in that exchange. I apologized to [Green]. He apologized to me. We both apologized to the team."
He continued: "These things, they happen, especially when you get two incredibly competitive people like Dray and me. So, over the 12 years we’ve been together, this has happened occasionally, and I’m not proud of it."