'Devastated': NBA saddened by death of Rasual Butler
'Devastated':
NBA saddened by death of Rasual Butler
MIAMI
(AP) - The first time Dwyane Wade was supposed to make a public appearance on
behalf of the Miami Heat back in 2003, he found himself paralyzed by
nervousness.
So
Rasual Butler jumped into action, joining his teammate for the event solely to
keep him calm.
"That's
who he was," Wade said. "A great individual that was always there for
people when they needed him."
FILE - In this June 26,
2017, file photo, former NBA basketball player Rasual Butler and his wife Leah
LaBelle, whose given name is Leah LaBelle Vladowski, arrive at the NBA Awards
at Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York. Authorities say the couple died in a
single-vehicle rollover traffic accident in the Studio City area of Los
Angeles' San Fernando Valley early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. Coroner's
Assistant Chief Ed Winter says both died at the scene. Autopsies are pending.
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Tributes like that were
offered all over the basketball landscape in honor of Butler, a longtime NBA
player who died Wednesday in what police said was a single-vehicle rollover
crash in Los Angeles. Police said Butler and his wife, R&B singer and
former "American Idol" contestant Leah LaBelle Vladowski, died at the
scene and that autopsies were pending.
Butler was 38. The NBA
released a statement saying it was "devastated" by Butler's death.
"A pro's pro, Rasual
enjoyed a long, successful career and was widely respected by his peers and
coaches," the NBA said.
That's perhaps an
understatement.
Butler never played in the
NBA Finals. He was never selected for an All-Star Game. More often than not,
when he played, he finished the night with fewer than 10 points.
That didn't matter. Teams
often clamored to have him on their roster - a testament to the type of person
he was.
"Rasual was the
consummate team player and a great role model for our younger players on how a
professional should prepare and act, while being a positive influence on
everyone who associated with him," said Kevin Pritchard, Indiana's
president of basketball operations.
Butler was the 53rd player
out of 57 taken in the 2002 NBA Draft, getting selected by Miami. He turned out
to be a steal; of the 52 people taken ahead of him, only eight appeared in more
games. He and Heat forward Udonis Haslem were close, even speaking recently
about the possibility of Butler considering getting involved with his former
Miami teammate on some business ventures.
"I know I speak for
everybody at the Heat," said an emotional Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, an
assistant when Butler was with the club. "He was one of our favorite
guys."
Heat President Pat Riley
raved about Butler and his wife Wednesday, and many in the organization still
spoke very highly of Butler - even though he last wore a Miami uniform more
than a decade ago.
"Rasual was one of
the greatest people we have ever had play for us; a great player, teammate and
better person," Riley said. "It's always hard to cope with losing
those you shared your life with, but we feel blessed to have had such a bright
light shine in all of our lives."
Butler played for eight
NBA clubs - Miami, New Orleans, the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington, Indiana,
San Antonio, Toronto and Chicago. He was also under contract with Minnesota in
2016, but was waived before the start of the regular season.
He averaged 7.5 points,
with a career-high of 33 points on two occasions.
Butler was from
Philadelphia and played four years of college basketball at La Salle. There
were no shortage of kids from Philadelphia who tried to emulate his game - one
of them being Toronto guard Kyle Lowry, who tried to show off for some friends
at a basketball camp they were attending on the night Butler got drafted.
Lowry, then 16, boasted
that he knew Butler and gave him a call - hoping the new pro would answer.
Butler took the call, and Lowry never forgot that gesture.
"This is truly a sad
day for me," Lowry said.
AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed.
FILE - In this
May 20, 2014, file photo, Indiana Pacers' Rasual Butler gestures during the NBA
basketball Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat in Indianapolis.
Authorities say Butler and his wife Leah LaBelle, whose given name is Leah
LaBelle Vladowski, died in a single-vehicle rollover traffic accident in the
Studio City area of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley early Wednesday, Jan. 31,
2018. Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter says both died at the scene.
Autopsies are pending. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Source :- www.dailymail.co.uk
'Devastated': NBA saddened by death of Rasual Butler
MIAMI
(AP) - The first time Dwyane Wade was supposed to make a public appearance on
behalf of the Miami Heat back in 2003, he found himself paralyzed by
nervousness.
So
Rasual Butler jumped into action, joining his teammate for the event solely to
keep him calm.
"That's
who he was," Wade said. "A great individual that was always there for
people when they needed him."
FILE - In this June 26,
2017, file photo, former NBA basketball player Rasual Butler and his wife Leah
LaBelle, whose given name is Leah LaBelle Vladowski, arrive at the NBA Awards
at Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York. Authorities say the couple died in a
single-vehicle rollover traffic accident in the Studio City area of Los
Angeles' San Fernando Valley early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. Coroner's
Assistant Chief Ed Winter says both died at the scene. Autopsies are pending.
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Tributes like that were
offered all over the basketball landscape in honor of Butler, a longtime NBA
player who died Wednesday in what police said was a single-vehicle rollover
crash in Los Angeles. Police said Butler and his wife, R&B singer and
former "American Idol" contestant Leah LaBelle Vladowski, died at the
scene and that autopsies were pending.
Butler was 38. The NBA
released a statement saying it was "devastated" by Butler's death.
"A pro's pro, Rasual
enjoyed a long, successful career and was widely respected by his peers and
coaches," the NBA said.
That's perhaps an
understatement.
Butler never played in the
NBA Finals. He was never selected for an All-Star Game. More often than not,
when he played, he finished the night with fewer than 10 points.
That didn't matter. Teams
often clamored to have him on their roster - a testament to the type of person
he was.
"Rasual was the
consummate team player and a great role model for our younger players on how a
professional should prepare and act, while being a positive influence on
everyone who associated with him," said Kevin Pritchard, Indiana's
president of basketball operations.
Butler was the 53rd player
out of 57 taken in the 2002 NBA Draft, getting selected by Miami. He turned out
to be a steal; of the 52 people taken ahead of him, only eight appeared in more
games. He and Heat forward Udonis Haslem were close, even speaking recently
about the possibility of Butler considering getting involved with his former
Miami teammate on some business ventures.
"I know I speak for
everybody at the Heat," said an emotional Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, an
assistant when Butler was with the club. "He was one of our favorite
guys."
Heat President Pat Riley
raved about Butler and his wife Wednesday, and many in the organization still
spoke very highly of Butler - even though he last wore a Miami uniform more
than a decade ago.
"Rasual was one of
the greatest people we have ever had play for us; a great player, teammate and
better person," Riley said. "It's always hard to cope with losing
those you shared your life with, but we feel blessed to have had such a bright
light shine in all of our lives."
Butler played for eight
NBA clubs - Miami, New Orleans, the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington, Indiana,
San Antonio, Toronto and Chicago. He was also under contract with Minnesota in
2016, but was waived before the start of the regular season.
He averaged 7.5 points,
with a career-high of 33 points on two occasions.
Butler was from
Philadelphia and played four years of college basketball at La Salle. There
were no shortage of kids from Philadelphia who tried to emulate his game - one
of them being Toronto guard Kyle Lowry, who tried to show off for some friends
at a basketball camp they were attending on the night Butler got drafted.
Lowry, then 16, boasted
that he knew Butler and gave him a call - hoping the new pro would answer.
Butler took the call, and Lowry never forgot that gesture.
"This is truly a sad
day for me," Lowry said.
AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed.
FILE - In this
May 20, 2014, file photo, Indiana Pacers' Rasual Butler gestures during the NBA
basketball Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat in Indianapolis.
Authorities say Butler and his wife Leah LaBelle, whose given name is Leah
LaBelle Vladowski, died in a single-vehicle rollover traffic accident in the
Studio City area of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley early Wednesday, Jan. 31,
2018. Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter says both died at the scene.
Autopsies are pending. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Source :- www.dailymail.co.uk