Jimmy Butler: 'Very Appreciative' of Heat Tenure After Return with Warriors

After playing against the Miami Heat for the first time since the team traded him to the Golden State Warriors, star forward Jimmy Butler expressed gratitude to his former franchise.

The Heat played a 40-second tribute video for Butler before announcing him as the last member of the Warriors starting lineup, showcasing highlights from his six-year tenure in South Beach. The 35-year-old said after the game that he looks back on his time in Miami fondly.

"I mean [the video] took me back to some good times when I was wearing a Miami Heat jersey," Butler said after the Warriors' 112-86 loss, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "Very appreciative of those times, to help me become the player that I am, the individual that I am in this league, the teammate, the leader, all of those things. I don't think I could be who I am today without my opportunity here."

Butler was limited to 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 29 minutes of action in Tuesday night's loss. Playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,897 at the Kaseya Center, he was largely booed whenever he touched the ball.

Meanwhile, the Heat appeared to be extra motivated to show their former teammate what he's missing. Every member of Miami's starting lineup scored in double figures, led by center Bam Adebayo's game-high 27 points.

The Warriors were playing without star point guard Stephen Curry and suffered their third loss in the last five games. However, Butler wasn't too broken up about the loss and said he's ready to move on from the hubbub that surrounded his first game against the Heat.

"I got a lot of love in the city for the fan base here," Butler said. "Video was nice. I won't say that there was a lot of emotions, though. I think I went into this thing level-headed. We wanted to win a game. It didn't go the way that we planned. We'll be all right."