Miami Heat Guard Jimmy Butler Steals Spotlight At U.S. Open Charity Event

Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler showed he could score on any court last night as he took part in a US Open charity event, scoring a point against 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Butler also appeared as a ball boy during Wednesday’s U.S. Open’s “Stars of the Open” event at Louis Armstong Stadium. The event featured a match between Alcaraz, the No. 1 ranked man in the sport, and No. 10 Francis Tiafoe. At one point during the match, Butler, dressed in full ballboy garb, asked Tiafoe to step in for him to return an Alcaraz serve.

Although the Spaniard typically hit serves at 120 mph, he took it easy on Butler, and the men exchanged several volleys before Butler won the point, as the crowd celebrated.

The 33-year-old basketball star is a big tennis fan, having been seen in the crowd of several tournaments, including Wimbledon in June, and is good friends with Tiafoe and female player Coco Gauff.

Alcaraz will likely be the top seed at this year’s tournament and will look to repeat as the champion. The 20-year-old took home the men’s Wimbledon championship in June and is looking to close out the WTA season with his second Grand Slam title of the season and third of his career.

Tiafoe, meanwhile, turned heads during last year’s US Open, making it to the semifinals before losing to Alcaraz. Tiafoe’s run to the semis was one of the biggest storylines of the tournament outside of Serena Williams’ final appearance.

Butler, a six-time All-Star, will try to take the Heat to its second straight NBA Finals appearance after losing to the Denver Nuggets in five games last season. Butler carried the Heat to the finals last season, averaging 22.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game.

The US Open will take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY, between Aug. 28 and Sept. 10.