Heat star Jimmy Butler inspires NBA Playoffs ad. But he got snubbed

Last year, Miami Heat reporter Brady Hawk asked star forward Jimmy Butler about "Playoff Jimmy" — a nickname Butler earned for his heroics in the run-up to an NBA Finals appearance. Butler said, " It's not a thing ."

Why it matters: Now, the NBA is rolling out a promo video for the playoffs featuring language that is strikingly similar: "Playoff mode. It's a thing."

• The only difference? Butler isn't featured in it — and some Heat fans have taken to social media to call the organization out.

What they're saying: Within an hour of the NBA posting the video to X, dozens of users flooded the comments to point out Butler's absence.

• "How does one create a minute-long playoff promo birthed from 'Playoff Jimmy' and not include Playoff Jimmy," wrote one user .
• "They really stole Jimmy's whole gimmick," wrote another .

Five Reasons Sports Network, the local news outlet where Hawk works, tweeted at the NBA that he would be "accepting your royalties."

Yes, but: The Heat aren't technically in the playoffs — yet. First, they need to win the Play-In Tournament, which begins tonight .

• All of the players featured in the ad — including Heat archrivals Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets — are on teams that have already made the playoffs.
• However, the ad will debut during the first round of the Play-In Tournament tonight.
• NBA chief marketing officer Tammy Henault said in a statement that the ad campaign "plays on the idea that the playoffs unlock an elevated version of all of us."

Hawk tells Axios the ad was clearly inspired — word for word — by his press conference exchange with Butler last April after he torched the top-seeded Bucks for a franchise playoff record 56 points en route to a series win.

• "Jimmy Butler is the exact type of player the league should love to promote," Hawk says in an X direct message. "Draws viewership this time of year, a headline maker off the court, and just a hilarious troll."
• "But being a semi-villain for this Heat organization seems to lead to a lack of credit across the board."

The bottom line: This may give Butler some extra motivation for another deep playoff run. It's definitely inspiring Hawk.

• "Jimmy and I were snubbed. Time to lock in," he wrote on X.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to add comments from Brady Hawk.

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