Jimmy Butler Is Again in Trouble With Kids as Worrying Confession Can Change Stephen Curry’s Future

“My kids, they really set everything in like proportion, the way that I look at things because when I come home, they don’t care if I had a triple-double or if I fouled out in the first three minutes of the game, I’m just their dad,” said Jimmy Butler in a clip from Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’. As fans, we have gotten so used to seeing Butler dominate alongside Stephen Curry and Co., we forget the player has a life outside of the basketball court, too. Given his hectic NBA schedule, combined with the ongoing legal battle with the mother of his children, the NBA star would seldom get time to spend with his 5-year-old daughter Rylee, 2-year-old son Brayan, and 1-year-old Kian. With any hope, he can rectify things by taking them with him to Minnesota. That is, if he can get to take them.

By defeating the Houston Rockets in Game 7, the Golden State Warriors now head to the 2nd round of the ongoing Western Conference Playoffs. The first 2 games of the Conference Semi-Finals series, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, will take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Jimmy Butler was questioned about the upcoming series during the post-game presser, and what came to his mind about this challenge. Since time was scarce, Buter replied that he wanted to use Sunday to enjoy the win. Furthermore, the concern in his mind wasn’t even about the upcoming games, as Butler revealed, “Worried about how I’m gonna get my coffee machine to Minnesota, and how I’m gonna get my kids there.”

Coffee is certainly an essential without which Butler cannot travel to Minnesota. After all, Game 1 is reportedly scheduled to take place at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 6th. This means that the Warriors squad had less than 48 hours after the final whistle in Houston on Sunday night. Only 2 days’ worth of time to travel, rest, and prepare. Not ideal, or even fair, when you realize that the host team is getting 5 days of rest. On top of that, only a one-day gap is present between each game day of the series (except Games 5 and 6, which would take place on May 14th and 18th, respectively). To maintain that energy, Butler has to have that refreshing drink. At the same time, he has to work out the best way to take care of his kids if he gets to take them to another state.

Article continues below this ad

Getting his children to him is currently a tough task, especially since Jimmy Butler and his ex-girlfriend are not on good terms. Since January, the Warriors star has been in a financial battle with Kaitlin Nowak. According to court documents, Butler was paying Nowak $55,000 a month in child support, as part of a partial agreement made back in December 2023. Additionally, it was also said that the athlete would temporarily pay for a nanny. Now, however, Nowak is asking for an additional $10,000 per month in support for a nanny.

“Butler says the $55K he pays…in monthly child support should be enough for their 3 kids. Butler’s lawyers also note—‘It must be pointed out that the Father & Mother were never married. Mother is not entitled to live as if she’s married to a NBA player.”https://t.co/2vZyp29xZB pic.twitter.com/U2Ej6pnLiS

— Dru (@dru_star) January 10, 2025

The court battle has resulted in both Butler and his ex-girlfriend coming under criticism. The NBA player’s supporters accused Novak of asking for more money while “flying on private jets”. Other posts said that Butler was to blame for picking someone who saw him as a meal ticket. Nowak addressed the comments through a snarky post on her IG Stories. This made it clear that the criticism got to her. Therefore, the last thing she would want to do right now is oblige the NBA star’s wishes.

The situation is certainly worrisome for Jimmy Butler. However, his worry also increases the worry for Stephen Curry. After all, the player is depending upon the scorer and his other teammates to put out a dominant performance against Anthony Edwards and Co.

Article continues below this ad

Despite “Fried Mind”, Stephen Curry depends on Jimmy Butler and other “life” for the upcoming playoff seriesAfter the 103-89 win, Stephen Curry participated in a post-game interview. During the Q&A session, the player was asked about his early expectations for the series. The last few matchups tested the Warriors to their physicality limit, being too gruelling and tiresome. Therefore, Curry kicked off his answer with “my mind is fried right now”. Fortunately, Curry also highlighted optimism by stating that “I just know they’re going to bring the best out of us. Um, it’s going to be a challenge, starting on the road again. So thankfully, we got life. That’s all we want”.

If there is one person who Curry considers the life of the Warriors, it is Jimmy Butler. After all, in the same interview, the 3-point leader credited the player.

“That’s why we’re here. I mean, we were what, 10th place, uh, at one point in February, and you know, finished the year with a sense of urgency on the run, to even get it to the play-in to give ourselves a chance. So, for us, to build chemistry on the fly, build trust on the fly, and perform like we did in a game seven like this, uh, it means the world,” he rightly noted.

Article continues below this ad

via Imago

That chemistry and trust would not matter if Jimmy Butler ends up underperforming. The troubles back home, combined with the tiring schedule, can distract the player enough to perform with less prowess than he did earlier. The Warriors have come this far, and Stephen Curry would not want anything to derail this train. Therefore, with any hope, Butler’s current issues get resolved, and Steph’s future remains unaffected.