Jimmy Butler Wild Media Day Moments

Jimmy Butler didn’t need another outrageous hairstyle to steal some of the spotlight at Golden State Warriors Media Day. The 37-year-old showed up Monday, September 28, with his normal hair but a pair of long, dangling diamond earrings that immediately became one of the day’s most talked-about looks. Warriors on NBC Sports summed it up pretty well: “Jimmy never disappoints on media day.”

The lighthearted moment came while Butler is dealing with something much more serious. He is still rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in January, an injury that ended his 2025-26 season. Butler said he progressed to running, doing light basketball work and even dunking again, but there still isn’t a firm date for his return. Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy confirmed Butler will not be ready for opening night.

That leaves the Warriors entering 2026-27 trying to stay afloat until one of their biggest pieces gets back. Stephen Curry is healthy after dealing with his own knee problems last season, but Golden State also entered camp with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable because of a health issue. Meanwhile, Butler made it clear that being injured won’t keep him from trying to inject some life into the locker room while he works his way back.

And really, that fits Butler perfectly. Media Day has become his annual opportunity to remind everybody that the stiff poses, predictable quotes and official headshots don’t have to be so serious. What started as a hairstyle joke eventually became something fans actively wait for every September, especially because those photos can follow a player around on broadcasts and league graphics all season.

From fake locs to Emo Jimmy and now jewelry that could probably be seen from the other side of Chase Center, here are some of Butler’s most memorable Media Day moments.

2022 — “Dread Head Jimbo” Arrives

This is where Butler really figured out the Media Day cheat code. He arrived at Heat Media Day with long, ombré faux locs—while jokingly denying they were extensions—knowing the look would be captured in his official photographs, even though he had no intention of wearing it all season. The pictures wound up following him throughout the year, which basically created the blueprint for everything that came afterward.