Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler debuts new ‘emo’ look. Social media reacts including teammates, fans

The Miami Heat's star player showed up to Media Day displaying a new look, something more in tune to his emotions.

NBA player Jimmy Butler shocked teammates, media and social media by walking into the team’s media day at Kaseya Center with a full-on "emo" makeover on Monday.

From straightened hair to darkened fingernails, Butler immediately gained the attention of the media, who asked about his new style.

“I'm very emotional right now. This is my emo state and I like this. This is me,” Butler said to reporters in the Heat’s interview room for media day Monday. “This is how I'm feeling as of late.”

More: Jimmy Butler shows off 'emo' hairstyle, predicts Heat will win NBA Finals in 2023

Who is Jimmy Butler?

Jimmy Butler III is a professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association and Olympic Gold Medalist. Known as "Jimmy Buckets," the 34-year-old Texas native is a six-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA Team honoree, and a five-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team honoree.

Why is Jimmy Butler emo now?

Is this actually his new look or some dedicated trolling on Butler's part? Well, bad news for those wanting more emo representation in sports — it's not real.

"Don’t make me break character," Butler said as he entered the Heat’s interview room. "I’m emo – leave me alone."

According to AP, this is an ongoing joke with Butler at the start of every season's Media Day, switching up his usual look for something unexpected. Last year, the Miami Heat forward sported dreadlocks in his Media Day photos.

As for why he chose this getup for this year's media day look? He didn't say why. However, USA Today theorized there may be a deeper meaning into Butler's "emotional" appearance.

The Heat were considered front-runners to land Damian Lillard, who was instead traded to the Milwaukee Bucks last week. Butler quickly released a video asking the NBA look into the trade because of tampering.

Then the Boston Celtics landed guard Jrue Holiday from the Blazers, as Portland agreed to trades that made both Eastern Conference teams stronger before the season.

"It’s a new year. It’s a new season. We came up short. I didn’t do my job. We didn’t do our job as a whole last season. But it’s a new season and I’m excited for it," Butler said during the presser.

What's the name for Jimmy's emo persona?

In an interview, Butler said he liked the nickname "Ball Out Boy," a play on the popular 00's band "Fall Out Boy."

How far did Jimmy Butler go with new look?

While the style might not last, Butler committed to the character.

Not only did the Heat Miami star arrive to the press sporting a new "emo" hairstyle, he also had eye, lip, and nose piercings. He paired the entire look with black painted fingernails and walked into the Kaseya Arena with an entire black outfit.

What did teammates think of his emo hairstyle?

Coaches greeted Butler with "smiles and laughs," according to USA Today reports on Oct. 2.

Teammates were seemingly caught 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.

“That is not real ... That is (expletive) hilarious,” Adebayo said.

Heat guard Tyler Herro later added, “He told me this was his Halloween today.”

How did social media react to Butler's emo look?

Outside of Butler's teammates and coaches, Miami Heat fans and social media members instantly flew to X to share their memes about his new look.

Contributing reporting: Safid Deen, USA Today Network

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Jimmy Butler debuts 'emo' look for Miami Heat, dubbed 'Ball Out Boy'