Tom Thibodeau On Rasual Butler: 'He Was One Of The Classiest Guys In The NBA'

The NBA family received the unfortunate news that former NBA forward Rasual Butler and his wife died on Wednesday morning in a car accident in Los Angeles.

Butler played in the NBA from 2002-16 for Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles (Clippers), Chicago, Toronto, Indiana, Washington and San Antonio. Butler played with coach Tom Thibodeau for six games with the Bulls in 2010-11, and re-joined Thibodeau in Minnesota on Sept. 26 for training camp and preseason before being released on Oct. 22.

He was 38 years old.

“Just an unbelievable guy. Certainly, our condolences go out to his family,” Thibodeau said on Thursday. “He was one of the classiest guys in the NBA. Every team he was on, everyone loved him. He’ll be missed.”

Although his time in Minnesota was short, Butler had his impact on the roster, especially the young players.

“He was a great person,” Wolves wing Andrew Wiggins said. “(He) always looked out for the young guys when he was here. . . My condolences to his family, friends and all the loved ones.”

Butler was the 53rd overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft out of La Salle University. He appeared in 809 career regular season games and 43 playoff games.

“It’s just like he started life after basketball,” Wiggins said. “It shows how crazy and short life can be. You’ve just got to love life and live it how you want to live it, man. You never know.”