Mario Alberto Butler Graham (born January 15, 1957) is a Panamanian retired professional basketball player. Butler spent most of his career playing in the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The Baloncesto Superior Naci ...

(BSN) in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. At , he played

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

and was known for his rebounding skills. He is the BSN all-time rebounding leader with 8,236

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

Panama

Butler grew up on the streets of Panama City, where he picked up the game of basketball at around the age of 9. Butler quickly became famous around his neighborhood for his abilities, and he eventually earned a scholarship to an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

and a spot on the

Panama national basketball team The Panama men's national basketball team ( Spanish: Selección nacional de baloncesto de Panamá) represents Panama in men's international basketball competitions, The team represents both FIBA and FIBA Americas. With four qualifications to the ...

. He studied at

Briar Cliff College Briar Cliff University is a private Franciscan university in Sioux City, Iowa. History In March 1929, Mother Mary Dominica Wieneke, Major Superior of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, along with the Most Rev. Edmond Heelan, Bishop ...

in Sioux City, Iowa, where he befriended another Panamanian and future basketball legend in Puerto Rico, Rolando Frazer. Butler and Frazer, had played together with Panama's national team; away from home, however, they were also able to establish a friendship. Mario graduated in 1979 and was an integral part of Briar Cliff's famous Panama Pipeline. He played in 102 games during his career, scoring 815 points and totaling 664 rebounds, which ranked 14th and seventh all-time, respectively, at the time of his graduation. He shot 55.4 percent for his career and averaged 12.0 points per game as a senior, while leading the team with 9.4 rebounds per game. Butler played on teams which produced the best four-year record in school history (91-24), reaching the NAIA tournament all four years which were also the first four national tournaments in program history. He helped the Cliff to one Sweet 16 and one Elite 8. He was inducted into the Briar Cliff Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Puerto Rico

In 1979, Genaro Marchand, then president of the BSN, attended the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

, held in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

. The Puerto Rican basketball leader was so impressed by Butler and Frazer's playing that he decided to carry out a special draft in 1980, and Butler was chosen by the Morovis Titans, while Frazer went to the Polluelos de Aibonito. Butler, alongside teammates

Wesley Correa Wesley "Wes" Correa Crup (born April 16, 1962) is an American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player who played sixteen years in the Puerto Rican Baloncesto Superior Nacional league, all of them with the Titanes de Morovis franchise. Correa ...

and Mario Sanchez, brought instant respectability to the Titans. During that era, games were shown on Puerto Rico's national

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

almost daily (on weekends, twice a day) by

WAPA-TV WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish-language independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Hemisphere Media Group, which is 84% owned by InterMedia Partners. WAPA-TV's studios are located on Avenida Luis Vigoreaux in ...

, helping Butler, Frazer, Mario Morales, Georgie Torres, Jerome Mincy and a number of other BSN players to become household names there. Despite being active in the BSN, Butler continued representing Panama at different international tournaments, but he was not able to participate at any

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

; Panama never qualified for them during Butler's period with their national team. In 1983, the Titans almost won the BSN's title, losing to Morales, Fico Lopez and the Guaynabo Mets during a seven-game semi-final series. The Titans repeated their regular season success from 1984 to 1986, only to fall short in the playoffs. But at the 1987 BSN finals, Butler and the Titans finally conquered the title, the franchise's first and so far, only, title, by beating the defending champions, Frazer and the Polluelos, by a score of 100-92 in game seven of the championship series. Correa, who was considered by many Puerto Ricans to be the best player on the Titans of that era, said "Me and the two Marios (Butler and Sanchez) have been working for so long that we deserved this title since a long time ago!". By then, Butler had been nicknamed by famous broadcaster

Manolo Rivera Morales Manuel Rivera Morales (''aka'' "Manolo", "El Olimpico", "Mr. Apuntenlo") (May 14, 1923–May 25, 2000) (in Spanish) was a Puerto Rican sportscaster, radio announcer and marketing sales executive. Rivera Morales is considered by many to be the be ...

as "The Panamanian Express" and "The King of the Jungle". After many other seasons with the Titans, Butler joined the Santurce Crabbers, where he played alongside José Ortiz and

Carlos Arroyo Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez (born July 30, 1979) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player, and reggaeton singer. Arroyo had previously played in the National Basketball Association with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Ut ...

, among others. Butler added three more championships to his resume when the Crabbers, who had begun a four championships in a row run in 1997, won the 1998, 1999 and 2000 titles. After playing with the Crabbers, Butler joined the Carolina Giants, where he played until 2002. Then, he signed with the Titans again. In 2003, Butler broke the record for most games played in the BSN's history, and becoming half of the first father and son duo in Puerto Rico to play for the same team at the same time in the BSN, alongside Mario Jr. Butler scored more than 12,000 points at the BSN, making him a member of the exclusive group of players to have scored 5,000 or more points in that league (as the league usually has a schedule of only 30 to 33 games per year, anyone who reaches 5,000 or more points there is generally considered as an all-time great by Puerto Ricans), and also joining the even more exclusive group of players with 10,000 or more points scored. He averaged 17 points per game over 23 years. He also collected more than 8,000 rebounds, for an average of almost 12 rebounds caught per game. Butler was the BSN's MVP in 1988, and the league's defensive player of the year in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1994. Mario Butler returned to basketball, lured by Yamil Chade, in time to win his fifth BSN basketball championship, this time with the Arecibo Captains during 2005.

International career

Mario Butler also saw action in professional leagues of other countries besides Panama and Puerto Rico. He played as a professional in Brazil, Colombia, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Ekua ...

, Italy,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, the United States (though not in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

) and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in t ...

. One incident that Butler publicly admitted he probably will never forget happened while he was a player for the

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of a ...

team in Mexico: after the game's referees made a call that disgusted local fans, many fans jumped onto the court to fight Butler and his teammates. Others began tossing

bottle A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal stop ...

s and other items from the fan stands. Butler and his coach, fellow Puerto Rican

Julio Toro Julio Toro (born November 5, 1943) is a Puerto Rican basketball coach. Toro is known for emphasizing the mental aspects of the game and making widespread use of philosophical principles, as well as other unorthodox techniques that include the ...

, had to push some fans away in order to make it out of the arena, and they were formally accused by some fans of hitting them, but the Mexican

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...

never charged them.

National team career

Butler saw action for the Panama national team in other important tournaments apart from the Pan American games. These included the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for countries in Cent ...

, the Pre-Olympics and others. It was because of this international exposure that he, at 6 feet and 8 inches (80 inches) tall, became known by many basketball fans as one of the most dominant centers in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

-speaking countries during his era as a basketball player.

References

External links