NBA Star Has Been Loving And Recording Country Music

There is a new tall drink of water who has been recording country music, and at 6'7, he's even taller than Blake Shelton. His name is Jimmy Butler, and he's an NBA star who plays for the Miami Heat.

The basketball player talked recently with Rolling Stone and said that he "fell in love" with country music in the fall of 2010 when he was a senior in high school. As he explained, he was in the locker room, and everyone was listening to Lil Wayne and Jay-Z. He said he loves and respects hip-hop but asked the guys to turn it down. He went home and googled the most "country" songs, and the results pointed him to Tim McGraw's "Don't Take The Girl," so he downloaded it, went back to the locker room, and blasted the song, much to his teammates' displeasure.

After his run-in the locker room, he said he started to "listen to the lyrics" and learned about more country singers. He then listened to Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, and Kenny Chesney. He says, "In 2023, I'm knee-deep in it and try to see as many concerts as I can."

One of those concerts was Morgan Wallen. He said that he hopes to join him on stage one day. "I could sing many of his songs, but I just want to sing one line of "'98 Braves."

When asked about Wallen's controversy and using the n-word on tape in 2021, Butler said it wasn't a "controversy for me." He said he didn't even know what happened, but he had heard about it and did not see the video. He said,  "I don't think he's a bad human being in any way, shape or form. He is a friend of mine." Butler added that "obviously, it was a mistake" and believes he learned from it. He concluded that Wallen is "an incredible human being who made a mistake."

Jimmy did meet Wallen recently. Below is a video of that quick meeting.

Butler has been writing and producing his own country music with "some real artists and songwriters." He notes that he probably has 45 songs done right now and wants to write more. He said that there is "definitely going to be an album." He just doesn't know when it will be released, and it always gets "pushed back" because his "other job," playing basketball, "overshadows everything."

Many country music stars love their sports teams, whether it be basketball, college football, or baseball. And when it comes to the NFL, let's just say that some country stars go all out for their teams of choice.

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A native of East Tennessee, Kenny Chesney is a Tennessee Vols fan when it comes to college football, but when it comes to the NFL, he's a lifelong fan of The Pittsburgh Steelers. While he has played Heinz Field (now called Acrisure Stadium) many times, he visited the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp in 2015 to watch his favorite team in action.

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Chris, who was based in Texas and played there almost exclusively before hitting it big in Nashville, is a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. He was quite happy over the weekend (1/16) when his beloved Dallas Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to advance in the playoffs. He was so pleased he posted a video on his socials from a trip to Hawaii to cheer his team on.

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This North Carolina native loves his Panthers. He often wears Panthers gear on stage.

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Blake loves the Arizona Cardinals and even took his then-girlfriend, Gwen Stefani, to a game in 2015 when they were dating. He always posts on social media about his team, and as they say, "He bleeds Arizona red." The now-married couple went to another game of Blake's fave team in November (2022) when his Cardinals played the Los Angeles Rams.

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Darius Rucker is definitely country music's most passionate NFL football fan. He famously said that he has two seasons, "football season and waiting for football season." A lifelong Miami Dolphins fan, he often sings that National Anthem at their games and did so this past September 2021 when the Dolphins played the Buffalo Bills. When he fronted Hootie and The Blowfish, he wrote the band's biggest song, "I Only Want To Be With You," in college when he was so upset that his Dolphins were losing, he started to cry, and his mother called him a baby. Rucker also has his own line of NFL wear.