John Erik Butler Jr. (born December 4, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) on a two-way contract. He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles.
No. 21 – Portland Trail Blazers | |
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Position | Power forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | (2002-12-04) December 4, 2002 (age 19) Greenville, South Carolina |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Christ Church Episcopal (Greenville, South Carolina) |
College | Florida State (2021–2022) |
NBA draft | 2022 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2022–present |
Career history | |
2022–present | Portland Trail Blazers |
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Stats ![]() | |
Butler played basketball for Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, South Carolina, where he was coached by his father, John Sr., and was teammates with his younger brother, Jordan.[1] As a senior, he averaged 20.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, earning Upstate Player of the Year honors from The Greenville News.[2] Butler was named Class 2A Player of the Year and led his team to the state championship.[3] A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Florida State over offers from Georgia Tech, Alabama, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.[4]
On March 2, 2022, Butler recorded a career-high 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in a 74–70 win against Notre Dame.[5] As a freshman, he averaged 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 39.3 percent from three-point range. Butler declared for the 2022 NBA draft and opted to forgo his remaining college eligibility.[6]
After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Butler joined the New Orleans Pelicans for NBA Summer League play.[7] On 3 October, he was signed to an official two-way contract with the Pelicans for the 22-23 season, after an impressive camp and summer league stint. However, he was waived just a few days later.[8] On October 17th 2022, Butler reportedly signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. [9] On November 5th 2022, Butler made his NBA debut in a 102-82 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Butler's mother, Casie, played college basketball for South Carolina.[10] His father, John Sr., serves as head basketball coach at Christ Church Episcopal School.[1]
Portland Trail Blazers roster | |
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