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Jimmy Butler III (born on September 14, 1989) is am American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.

Butler's early life and high school: Before Butler was drafted by the Bulls in 2011, one of the NBA general managers said about Butler, "His story is one of the most remarkable I've seen in all my years of basketball. There were so many times in his life where he was set up to fail. Every time, he overcame just enormous odds. When you talk to him - and he's hesitant to talk about his life - you just have this feeling that this kid has greatness in him."

Overview of Butler's childhood: When Butler was an infant, his father abandoned him and his family. When Butler was 13 years old (living in Houston suburbs of Tomball), his mother kicked him out of the house. When Butler was interviewed in 2011, he remembered his mom saying to him, "I don't like the look of you. You gotta go." Butler than bounced between the homes of various friends, staying at a friend's house for a few weeks at a time before moving on to another friend's house. Eventually, Butler finally found a steady home to stay in.

In a summer basketball league, before his senior year at Tomball High School, Butler was noticed by Jordan Lesile, a freshman football and basketball player at the school. Lesile challenged Butler in a three-point shooting contest. After the contest, the two immediately became friends, and Butler began staying at Lesile's house. Lesile's mother and stepfather who had six children between the both of them. Even though Lesile's mother and stepfather were reluctant at first, they took Butler in within a few months. Butler later said, "They accepted me into their family. And it wasn't because of basketball. She [Michelle Lambert, Lesile's mother] was just very loving. She just did stuff like that. I couldn't believe it."

High school ENIOR basketball career: As a senior at Thomball High School, Butler averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds per game in the 2006-07 season. He was subsequently voted his team's most valuable player.

College career: Coming out of high school, Butler was not heavily recruited and he chose to attend Tyler Junior College in Tyle, Texas. After Butler's freshman season, he transferred to Marquette University. As a sophomore in the 2008-09 season, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He also recorded a free throw percentage of .768. As a junior, Butler got the opportunity to mve into the starting lineup. During the 2009-10 (junior year) season Butler averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Butler also earned All-Big East Honorable Mention honors. Butler's 2009-10 season highlights were two game-winning shots vs. UConn and St. John's. This helped Marquette finish 11-7 in the Big East and earn it's 5th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

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