According to Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune, an anonymous Chicago media source said Butler began seeing himself as a star once he started to hang out with Wahlberg.
Once an underdog, Jimmy Butler has turned into an egomaniac NBA star now https://t.co/mrNYWBZRIr
— Reusse (@Patrick_Reusse) October 11, 2018
The report added: “The feeling in Chicago was that Butler’s game stopped growing three, four years ago, as his head grew ever larger.”
Per Reusse, the friendship between Butler and Wahlberg began in 2013 when Wahlberg was filming Transformers in Chicago.
Wahlberg played some pickup basketball at the Chicago Bulls’ practice facility, and he began spending time with Butler from there.
Reusse referred to Butler as an “egomaniac” who didn’t want to share the spotlight with the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Butler talked trash to Towns, Wiggins, Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden throughout the practice.
Jimmy is totally acting like a Hollywood Diva. Blame Mark Wahlberg, it’s much more fun that way.
