Caron Butler has had quite a successful basketball career. During his 14-year run in the league, he was a two-time All-Star and won a title with the Dallas Mavericks.
"Tuff Juice" retired after the 2015-16 campaign, but he's been working with the Miami Heat as an assistant coach since 2020. When discussing his transition to coaching. Butler revealed the important role that the 2010-11 campaign played in his career shift.
Caron keeps it real on his desire to become a coach
Butler had a tough upbringing before making it to the pros. Growing up in Racine, Wisconsin, he was subjected to the street life many talented athletes get caught up in. It led to him being a drug dealer at just 12 and getting arrested 15 times before he was 15 years old.
Caron managed to escape that life and make a career as a basketball player. But during the 2010-11 season with the Mavs, while he was injured on the sidelines, the UConn product realized he had an aptitude for coaching.
"I knew that if I could sell poison, if I could sell dope, I knew I could sell hope," Butler said on The OGs. "In 2011, the second-leading scorer on a championship team, go down with an injury in Dallas, and I was like, 'Damn, how can I have an impact on this team while I can't physically be out there and do what the f*** I need to do?' I'm going through this process, as a competitor, this s*** is messing with me, I can't have an impact."
"So it started in film sessions where Rick Carlisle is talking, and I'm like, 'Hey, why we not getting back? What's this? Where's the shrink? The rotation is slow.' And it was just like, 'Oh, man, I like doing this. I got a place, I got a voice.' And it just kind of happened organically like that," Butler added.
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Butler used his early-life struggles to help him
The two-time All-Star overcame quite a bit just to get to the NBA and put together a strong career as a player. But at some point, every professional athlete needs to retire, so once that time came, the longtime forward knew he had to find something else to do.
At first, it seemed like broadcasting was what he would do, but the 2010-11 season proved to Butler that he could become a coach. If he could sell drugs before he was even in high school, he could convince players to give it all on the court.
While he's obviously not solely responsible for their success, it's worth noting that the Heat's recent run of postseason dominance has largely come with Caron on their coaching staff. Whatever he's doing appears to be positively impacting the players he's working with.
Coaching certainly isn't easy, as you must deal with big personalities and watch a lot of films. But Butler knew he was cut out for it even as a player, and it looks like he could continue coaching in the NBA for quite some time.
Related: Caron Butler recalls what it was like being a drug dealer at the age of 12: “I was easily making $3000-4000 a week at 12”
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