Jimmy Butler is leaning into something unexpected this offseason: padel. The Golden State Warriors forward has poured $500,000 into the Reserve Padel Cup, and he insists it’s more than just a flashy side project.
For Butler, this investment is part of a broader plan to sharpen his edge on the hardwood.
Since coming aboard the Warriors via trade earlier in 2025, Butler has made no secret of his push to do whatever it takes for this next full season.
He joined the Reserve Padel movement as honorary chairman of the Reserve Cup, a showcase tournament bringing together pros, celebrity captains, and rising stars in padel.
How padel fits into his Warriors blueprint
Padel is a court sport reminiscent of tennis, mixed with squash in some ways, with smaller, faster reactions.
Butler says those features are exactly what make it useful as cross-training. “Hand-eye coordination, reflexes, being able to pivot when the ball comes off the wall,” he told CNBC.
“All the movement, all the conditioning that you do. … It can definitely help on the basketball floor, I promise you.”
But Butler is careful not to overplay the risk. At 36, with a long career already behind him, he’s aware of the danger of pushing too hard.
“Yeah, of course. I would never do that. I’m not going super hard. Okay? I don’t know the ins and outs of the game like these pros … But yes, I do play. I’m not going all out … I do like to pretend that I’m a pro.”
He also highlights personal growth beyond physical conditioning. Padel gives him a platform to learn from others, improve his Spanish, explore new sports dynamics, and build community around the game.
“For me, my investment is a lot about the time, and for me, I also get to learn about these guys. I get to work on my Spanish too, but I get to be better on the basketball court because of this, I mean it.”
By backing the Reserve Padel Cup with substantial financial support, Butler isn’t just buying fun. He’s helping bid up the stakes for the sport in the U.S. and Europe.
The Reserve Cup Series is expanding; in 2025, it will feature multiple stops and prize pools eventually exceeding one million dollars across events.
Events have popped up in places like Miami and Marbella, combining serious padel matches with celebrity nights to draw broader attention.
For the Warriors-focused fans wondering how this translates into wins and impact: Butler‘s numbers since joining Golden State hint at an immediate return.
In 30 games with the Warriors after the trade, he averaged 17.9 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting, with 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals in 32.7 minutes. The team went 23-7 in games where he played.
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