Rasual Butler (born Felix Rasual Cheeseborough; May 23, 1979 – January 31, 2018) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. In his 14-year

National Basketball Association 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 St ...

(NBA) career, he played for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

, Indiana Pacers,

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

and

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. Butler was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, and raised in the Point Breeze area of South Philadelphia. After playing

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

with the

La Salle Explorers The La Salle Explorers are the varsity sports teams from La Salle University in Philadelphia. The Explorers compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The men's and women's basketball teams are also participate in the Ph ...

, he was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Heat.

Early life

Butler was born as Felix Rasual Cheeseborough to parents Felix Cheeseborough and Cheryl Taylor. When he was aged 8, his father was murdered on a

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.maiden name When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also use ...

so Butler would not be constantly reminded of his father's death.

College career

Rasual Butler played his college career with the

. He became the sixth Explorer to score over 2,000 points, and at the time of his induction into the La Salle University Hall of Athletes, he ranked fourth among the Explorer's all-time scorers (2,125). He was named to First Team All-Atlantic 10 (2001, 2002) and was selected to the Verizon Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship All-Tournament team in 2002. He was inducted into the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 2008.

Professional career

Miami Heat (2002–2005)

Butler was selected by the

with the 53rd pick of the 2002 NBA draft.

New Orleans Hornets (2005–2009)

After three seasons with the Heat, Butler was traded to the

as part of the largest trade in NBA history. The four-team trade involved the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, and featured 13 players, most notably Eddie Jones,

Antoine Walker Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft out of the University of Kentucky and played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008. Walker ...

, Jason Williams and

James Posey James Mikely Mantell Posey Jr. (born January 13, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played the small forward pos ...

. During the 2007–08 regular season, Butler averaged 17 minutes of action, 4.9 points and 2 rebounds per game while coming mostly from the bench.

Los Angeles Clippers (2009–2011)

On August 12, 2009, the

acquired Butler by trading a conditional 2016 second round draft pick. He was waived by the Clippers on February 28, 2011.

Chicago Bulls (2011)

Butler signed with the

on March 3, 2011.

Toronto Raptors (2011–2012)

In August 2011, Butler signed a one-year contract with CB Gran Canaria. However, he never made an appearance for them on the court. On December 10, 2011, Butler signed a new contract with the

. He was waived by the Raptors on March 23, 2012. He averaged 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 13 minutes of action in 34 games.

Tulsa 66ers (2013)

On January 18, 2013, Butler joined the

Tulsa 66ers Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

of the NBA Development League. He was subsequently named the 2013 Impact player of the Year, which is awarded to a player who joined an NBA D-League team midway through the season and made the greatest contribution following his in-season acquisition.

Indiana Pacers (2013–2014)

On September 27, 2013, Butler signed with the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 2.7 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 50 games.

Washington Wizards (2014–2015)

On September 29, 2014, Butler signed with the

. After an impressive preseason and a fractured wrist suffered by

Bradley Beal Bradley Emmanuel Beal Sr. (born June 28, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators before being selected by ...

, Butler made the final team prior to the start of the 2014–15 season. Within six regular season games, he was a force off the bench as he cemented a role under coach

Randy Wittman Randy Scott Wittman (born October 28, 1959) is an American former basketball player at the guard position and former coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Washington Wizards. Playing career High school Wittman starr ...

San Antonio Spurs (2015–2016)

On September 28, 2015, Butler signed with the

. Butler's final NBA game was played on March 8, 2016 in a 116 - 91 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

where he played for 5 minutes and recorded no stats. The very next day on March 9, 2016, he was waived by the Spurs. He averaged 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 9.4 minutes in 46 games. On September 26, 2016, Butler signed with the

, but was waived on October 22 after appearing in five preseason games.

BIG3

In 2017, Butler was signed by the

Ball Hogs The Ball Hogs are an American men's 3-on-3 basketball team that plays in the BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consis ...

to play in the

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international play ...

. During the season, he was traded to

Power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

Player profile

Butler's outside shooting was considered to be his greatest strength, shooting 36 percent over the course of his career and even 46 percent (50 total) during the 2003–04 season from behind the three-point line. His career-high total were 134 made three-point shots (37 percent) during the

2006–07 NBA season The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The San Antonio Spurs were crowned the champions after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The first NBA draft under the ne ...

Personal life

Butler starred in

Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the most ...

's music video " Here We Go". Butler was close friends with fellow NBA player

Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Six ...

and was seen in episodes of his television show ''

Khloé & Lamar ''Khloé & Lamar '' is an American reality television series that debuted on E! in the United States and Canada on April 10, 2011. The series is the third spin-off of the show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and features reality star Khloé ...

''.

Death

On January 31, 2018, Butler and his girlfriend, singer

Leah LaBelle Leah LaBelle Vladowski (September 8, 1986 – January 31, 2018) was an American singer. She rose to prominence in 2004 as a contestant on the American Idol (season 3), third season of ''American Idol'', placing twelfth in the season f ...

, were killed instantly in a high-speed car accident in the

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, after he lost control of his

Range Rover Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to ...

Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thoroughfares in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley as it was originally a part o ...

and crashed violently into a

strip mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

parking lot. Their bodies were

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

and Rasual's cremated remains were given to his adult daughter Raven. Autopsy reports showed traces of methamphetamine,

oxycodone Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...

and marijuana in Butler's body, and a

blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For example ...

of 0.118.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 72 , , 28 , , 21.0 , , .362 , , .292 , , .731 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .6 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 45 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .476 , , .463 , , .762 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , .3 , , 6.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 65 , , 15 , , 18.5 , , .399 , , .373 , , .771 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .4 , , 6.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New Orleans/Oklahoma City , 79 , , 20 , , 23.7 , , .406 , , .380 , , .693 , , 2.9 , , .5 , , .4 , , .6 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New Orleans/Oklahoma City , 81 , , 38 , , 27.4 , , .398 , , .369 , , .644 , , 3.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , .7 , , 10.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 51 , , 8 , , 17.2 , , .350 , , .331 , , .839 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , .4 , , 4.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 82 , , 74 , , 31.9 , , .433 , , .390 , , .782 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , .7 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 82 , , 64 , , 33.0 , , .409 , , .336 , , .841 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .8 , , 11.9 , - , rowspan="2" align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 41 , , 2 , , 18.1 , , .323 , , .326 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .2 , , .4 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 6 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .545 , , .571 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 34 , , 14 , , 13.3 , , .308 , , .273 , , .583 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 50 , , 2 , , 7.6 , , .464 , , .419 , , .571 , , .8 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 70 , , 1 , , 20.1 , , .422 , , .387 , , .791 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , .3 , , 7.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, 46 , , 0 , , 9.4 , , .471 , , .306 , , .688 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 809 , , 266 , , 21.3 , , .403 , , .362 , , .747 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 7.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2004 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , 0 , , 5.8 , , .409 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , 2.1 , - , align="left" , 2005 , align="left" ,

, 12 , , 1 , , 15.2 , , .373 , , .367 , , .333 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .1 , , .1 , , 4.7 , - , align="left" , 2009 , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 5 , , 5 , , 31.6 , , .459 , , .526 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , .2 , , .2 , , .8 , , 10.6 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .357 , , .417 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .1 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.7 , - , align="left" , 2015 , align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 42 , , 6 , , 11.2 , , .407 , , .417 , , .857 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 3.5

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Rasual 1979 births 2018 deaths 21st-century African-American sportspeople American expatriate basketball people in Canada African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Big3 players Chicago Bulls players Indiana Pacers players La Salle Explorers men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Miami Heat draft picks Miami Heat players New Orleans Hornets players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Road incident deaths in California San Antonio Spurs players Shooting guards Small forwards Toronto Raptors players Tulsa 66ers players Washington Wizards players American men's 3x3 basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia