Warriors star Jimmy Butler saw his season end on one unfortunate play Monday night, after he fell awkwardly while trying to catch a pass and immediately grabbed his right knee. He found out later he had torn his ACL, and just like that, the Warriors’ contending hopes had been laid to waste.
Warriors players looked gloomy and solemn as Butler was helped off the court and into the locker room, but things took an even sadder turn after the game against the Heat, when Butler was coming to terms with his injury.
Teammate Draymond Green spoke to Butler in the locker room and relayed a heartbreaking line about how the injury would impact his family life:
“First thing he said, sitting in that locker room was, ‘Man, I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade in the morning,’” Green said on his podcast.
“He said it four different times: ‘I’m not going to be able to take my kids to the arcade in the morning.’ Then we talked a little more. ‘Man, I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade.’ That’s all he kept saying. He was just in this state of delirium. Completely delirious. I can only imagine what he felt, but he just kept saying, ‘I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade.’”
Draymond on what Jimmy said in the locker room after his season-ending injury:
— aly ✶ (@jinthirty) January 22, 2026
“First thing he said, sitting in that locker room was, ‘Man, I’m supposed to take my kids to the arcade in the morning.’ He said it four different times: ‘I’m not going to be able to take my kids to… pic.twitter.com/RrrojEXhjq
Just so brutal.
Butler, 36, was playing in his first full season in Golden State after getting traded by Miami last year, and appeared to have found his new long-term home in the NBA alongside stars Green and Steph Curry. Yet, in a cruel twist of fate, Butler now finds himself sidelined for likely a year rehabbing his ACL while the Warriors face looming questions about what to do to avoid another lost season.
For Golden State, a blockbuster trade could be in the works as the organization continues to squeeze the most out of Curry’s twilight years and navigate an uncertain post-dynasty era. For Butler, one can only hope he gets the chance to take his kids to the arcade soon enough.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jimmy Butler Had Saddest Line to Draymond Green in Locker Room After ACL Injury .
