Jimmy Butler never misses his unique pregame ritual in the locker room.
The Golden State Warriors were heading toward a disappointing finish to the 2024-25 NBA season until the organization traded for Jimmy Butler.
Butler’s arrival changed things for the Dubs. In fact, since making the trade, the Warriors have been one of the best teams in the NBA with a 15-2 record.
Considering Butler hasn’t even played 20 games for the Dubs, his teammates are discovering new things about the 6x NBA All-Star after each contest.
Pregame rituals have been a major part of the NBA for decades, such as LeBron James‘ iconic chalk toss or Michael Jordan wearing his North Carolina shorts before games.
Apparently, Jimmy Butler also has a pregame ritual, but it’s something that is restricted to the locker room. Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski recently discovered it and was surprised after finding out.
“I think the biggest thing that stands out to me is he lights a candle in his locker – home or away.
“I’ve never seen that before. I don’t know if it’s something spiritual or just a good luck thing, but he does that,” Podz said, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
While the ritual makes no sense to the Warriors sharpshooter, he doesn’t mind it.
“I’ve never seen that. I saw it for the first time in Chicago when we were there, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is different.’ But, hey, it’s working.”
As the famous saying goes, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Podziemski may not know why Butler lights candles before games, but it has certainly brought a stroke of luck for the Warriors.
After suffering a shocking defeat against the shorthanded Denver Nuggets, the Warriors bounced back vs the Milwaukee Bucks.
In Stephen Curry’s absence, Butler stepped up for the team as he finished with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists in the 104-93 win over the Bucks.
On top of that, Jimmy also became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 100 rebounds and 100 assists. He took just 17 games to reach that milestone.
The Warriors now flaunt a 40-29 record as they became the seventh seed in the Western Conference to reach 40 wins.
