THE CAFFEINE-LOVING
FORWARD HAS TURNED HIS
COFFEE STAND INTO
A THRIVING ENTERPRISEJIMMY’S
JOE JONES
EATS: FOOD. DRINK. CULTURE. SPORTS
22 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | SI.COM
SCORECARDHEN HEAT STAR Jimmy Butler was
leading his team to the NBA Finals
in 2020, his coffee obsession was
still more of an Orlando bubble quirk than
a legitimate business. Since then, Butler has
actually started selling his own beans (and
merch) under his Big Face Coffee label. It
started as a way to price-gouge a captive
(and wealthy) clientele whose per diem came in big
bills; his cheapest cup was $20, but if someone paid
with a $100 bill he’d refuse to make change. (Big Face
refers to the visages on the bills.) Now it has turned
into one of Butler’s many off-court interests and quite
possibly a full-blown addiction. In mid-March, the
six-time All-Star even set up a Big Face pop-up at the
ATP Miami Open, with Butler himself getting behind
the counter and whipping up lattes for VIPs and
tournament entrants. (The prices were a little more
affordable this time, with drinks starting at around
eight bucks and a full f light for $20.)
Butler can’t even remember the last day he didn’t
drink coffee. “Could I do it? Yes. Do I want to do it? No,”
he says, adding, “Do I want to try to do it? No. Do I think
about doing it? No. Could I do it? Yes. But I’m not.”
Butler’s coffee habit is a part of his pregame routine.
He drinks seven to 10 cups a day, starting right after he
wakes up. He has it at breakfast, at the team meeting, atlunch and right before tip-off. At home, he likes to whip
up coffees himself. (Butler has even been practicing
latte art for more than two years now.) On the road,
he likes to explore local shops with his friends, with
suggestions that have come from the comments on
the Big Face Instagram page. And he welcomes all
variations into his routine. “There’s no coffee that I or
everybody around me won’t drink,” Butler says.
For Butler, the best thing about coffee is not
necessarily the drink itself; instead it’s the
conversations shared over a cup. He still has some
Heat members he needs to sip with (team president
Pat Riley included). When asked who his dream coffee
shop hang would be, Butler is all over the board:
“I would definitely pick Neymar; I’m a huge fan. I
would pick Barack Obama. And then lastly, I would
pick Emma Raducanu. She’s a young baller. She’s a
monster. If I could share a cup with those three, I
think I’d be having a great time.” —Rohan NadkarniWJE
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