Jimmy Butler's Emo Bob and Piercings Inspire Jokes From Social Media and His Teammates

Jimmy Butler can be as much of a menace off the basketball court as he is on it. The top-scoring Miami player made headlines during the Heat's annual media day on Oct. 2, but not for reasons having to do with the team. Instead, it's his hairdo that caught reporters' and fans' attention.

Butler sat at his microphone wearing a scene-style bob haircut paired with lip, nose, and eyebrow piercings and black nail polish. When asked about the new look, he explained that it's reflective of how he's feeling at the moment.

"This is my emotional state," the forward said. “I’m one with my emotions, so this is what you get."

It's not the first time he's debuted a new look on the Heat's media day. Last year, he came out with locs, though they didn't last too long. Evidently staying "in character," as he called it, may be his way of immortalizing the look for the whole season, as the NBA uses media day photos on promotional material throughout the year.

Teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro got a kick out of Butler's new 'do. "He's just misunderstood," Adebayo chuckled, later adding, "If this is a phase he’s going through at 34, I guess you’ve got to let him go through his phases." Herro, meanwhile, relayed what Butler told him: "He told me [today's] his Halloween."

The Heat's X account even acknowledged that "Nobody does media day like Jimmy Butler does media day."

Butler shrugged off the chatter around his new appearance by pointing out that looks are just that—looks—and can change with the wind. "You never know how I’m going to wake up," he explained. "This is how I feel today. We’ll see tomorrow. Tomorrow might be in all yellow."

When asked if he planned on carrying this persona onto the court, he admitted that he might. "I feel like I’m very emotional right now," he said honestly. "This is my emo state, and I like this. This is me. This is how I’m feeling as of late."

Social media users were quick to laugh about the new look just like Adebayo and Herro did. Some likened it to André 3000's hair from OutKast's "Hey Ya!" music video or Whitney Houston's iconic bob. Others fired off jokes as they quoted lyrics from Second Serenade's "Fall for You."

Coincidentally enough, while Adebayo spoke to reporters, a Panic! at the Disco song was playing in the hallway.