CARON BUTLER
Assistant Coach
After a stellar 14-year NBA playing career, that included winning an NBA Championship with Dallas (2011) and a pair of All-Star appearances with Washington (2007 and 2008), Caron Butler returned home to Miami prior to the 2020-21 season to where his NBA career began nearly 20 years prior. The 2020-21 season marked his initial foray into the world of coaching and he now begins his fourth season as an assistant coach on Erik Spoelstra’s staff. Butler, who was universally respected throughout his playing career, was known for both his physical and mental toughness, traits that make him a valuable asset to both the coaching staff and players. He got his first taste as a head coach in 2023 when he served as the HEAT’s Summer League coach in both Sacramento and Las Vegas.
Originally drafted by the HEAT with the 10th pick of the 2002 NBA Draft, Butler played the first two seasons of his career with Miami. He appeared in 146 games (134 starts) with the HEAT and averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.45 steals and 33.5 minutes while shooting 40.2 percent from the floor and 80.2 percent from the foul line. Butler earned All-Rookie First Team honors following the 2002-03 season after leading the HEAT in points, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, steals and minutes played. A four-time NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, Butler still owns the HEAT rookie records for points scored (1,201), free throws made (309) and minutes played (2,858). He also appeared in 13 postseason games with Miami and averaged 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.15 steals and 39.3 minutes while shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 82.5 percent from the line. Butler was traded by the HEAT to the Los Angeles Lakers on July 14, 2004 along with Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and a first-round pick in the deal that brought Shaquille O’Neal to Miami.
In addition to Miami, Butler’s career included stops in Los Angeles with both the Lakers and Clippers, Washington, Dallas, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Detroit and Sacramento. He appeared in 881 regular season games (732 starts) and finished his career with averages of 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.32 steals and 32.2 minutes while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor, 34.8 percent from three-point range and 84.7 percent from the line. He also appeared in 65 postseason contests (49 starts) and averaged 11.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.12 steals and 31.4 minutes while shooting 39.9 percent from the floor, 28.6 percent from three-point range and 83.8 percent from the line.
Upon retiring as a player, the Racine, WI native also excelled off the court as a broadcaster. He joined ESPN as a college game analyst in 2017 before joining Turner Sports as an NBA analyst in 2018. He filled numerous roles with Turner Sports including being featured on NBA TV’s signature studio show, NBA Game Time, and NBA on TNT’s PlayersOnly franchise. Most recently he earned acclaim hosting the “NBA Together” initiative. He has also worked as a studio analyst for Spectrum SportsNet’s coverage of the Lakers and worked as an occasional game analyst for the Washington Wizards during the 2019-20 season. In addition, Butler hosted a podcast Tuff Juice with Caron Butler and in 2015 wrote an autobiography (Tuff Juice) that is also being produced into a biopic. In 2022, he released his second book (Shot Clock) in a new middle grade series about a young boy trying to make his mark on an AAU basketball team coached by a former NBA All-Star in his hometown.
Butler and his wife Andrea reside in Miami and have a son, James Caron (JC), Jr. who was on a basketball scholarship at UC-Irvine where he graduated in 2023 and four daughters, Camary, Mia, Ava and Gia.