Warriors star guard Jimmy Butler has finished his 2025-26 campaign early after tearing his ACL against the Miami Heat on Monday.
Butler was helped off the court with a right knee injury at the 7:41 mark of the third quarter Monday during the Warriors’ 135-112 win over his former team, the Miami Heat. Butler immediately left for an MRI exam, and the team did not plan to provide an update on his status until Tuesday.
The injury occurred after Butler caught a pass in the paint and collided awkwardly with Miami’s Davion Mitchell, who was called for a foul on the play. Butler’s knee buckled on the landing, and he remained on the court grimacing for several minutes before teammates Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield helped him off. He was unable to put weight on the leg.
“It’s something you hadn’t seen before,” Stephen Curry said. “Usually you expect him to get up, but I just told him to take his time. He was still cracking jokes on the ground—true Jimmy fashion.”
Coach Steve Kerr expressed concern but remained hopeful about Butler’s spirits. “We’re all really concerned but we’ll know more after the MRI,” Kerr said postgame. “He’s an alpha, and assuming we’ll be without him for a bit, we’re going to miss him. But we’ve got players who can step up, and we’ll just wait for the news to figure out what’s next.”
Before leaving, Butler had scored 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting, adding four assists and three rebounds in under 21 minutes. He was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer behind Curry, averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists this season.
