Does Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler Want to Build His Own Jordan Brand?

Matt Hickman
·3 min read
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Miami Heat sensation Jimmy Butler wants to turn his NBA playoffs moniker into a moneymaker, or so his latest move would suggest.

On May 24 the Houston native and former Marquette star applied to register a trademark for “Himmy Buckets,” which would apply to a range of product categories including apparel such as hoodies, shirts, pants and hats, and footwear, according to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filing.

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Butler, whose clutch playoff performances in recent years have earned him the nickname “Jimmy Buckets,” has recently gained traction on social media with the honorific “him,” leading to the mashup moniker “Himmy Buckets.” It’s still too early to say if the trademark application will translate to products available for sale, however.

Of note, the 2023 Eastern Conference finals MVP has been under contract since November 2020 with athletic challenger Li-Ning, a fast-rising Chinese threat that’s giving Nike a run for its money in the Asian nation’s lucrative 1.4-billion-strong consumer market. Li-Ning made headlines last year when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) blocked the company’s shipments from entering American shores after the agency detected North Korean forced labor in its supply chain. The sportswear company responded by dismissing CBP’s “incorrect” and “misleading” allegations.

Prior to signing a shoe deal with Li-Ning, which also claims Pelicans guard C.J. McCollum, Raptors guard Fred VanVleet and Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell as endorsers, Butler was under contract with the Jordan Brand for five years at $5 million, until he ended the deal 10 months short of its expiration at the start of 2020.

After being drafted in 2011, Butler signed a deal with Adidas, but three years later took a 75 percent pay cut to line up with Nike, ESPN reported.

Pulling out of the Nike deal early led to Butler being sued by a number of sports agents, who claimed they were owed a total $842,000 in commission on his endorsement deals.

According to the website Sportskeeda, the Li-Ning deal pays Butler $3 million per year.

Google Trends search data suggests the Himmy Buckets nickname took off on May 7 after Butler shook off an ankle sprain to score 28 points on the way to sealing Miami’s second-round, game three victory over the New York Knicks, 105-86.

Butler and the Heat, the first No. 8 seed to advance beyond the conference finals since 1999’s New York Knicks, open the NBA Finals Thursday night in Mile High City against the Denver Nuggets, the No. 1 seed from the Western Conference.

Additional reporting by Jessica Binns.

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