MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler had a new look for Media Day, and the NBA world immediately took notice.
The Miami Heat forward arrived for the team's first official day of work this season with piercings — eye, lip and nose — along with a new hairstyle and his fingernails painted black.
It's become a trend of sorts for Butler, who went through the Media Day gamut last year with dreadlocks in a deviation from his usual look.
“I'm very emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like this. This is me,” Butler said. “This is how I'm feeling as of late.”
Teammates, it seemed, were caught a bit off guard. Heat center Bam Adebayo — who hadn't seen his teammate before meeting with reporters — thought someone had photoshopped something when a reporter showed him photos of Butler's look for the day.
“That is not real. ... That is (expletive) hilarious,” Adebayo said.
Still unclear: If Butler will keep the look when Miami opens practice on Tuesday. The team will hold camp at Florida Atlantic University in nearby Boca Raton.
KOLOKO OUT
Christian Koloko won’t be taking part in training camp with the Toronto Raptors. The team announced Monday that he’s still dealing with “ongoing respiratory issues” and will not participate in the workouts that start in Vancouver on Tuesday.
He averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds as a rookie last season.
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