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In 2020, salary isn’t the only way that a professional athlete can earn money. While million-dollar contracts are nothing to sneeze at, the top talents become brands in their own right, selling everything from shoes to snacks. Jimmy Butler might not have the portfolio of some of basketball’s biggest stars, he’s no stranger to making money.

During his time in the bubble, Butler has made the best of a tough situation, slinging cups of coffee to other NBA players. His side hustle, however, might spread beyond the Orlando campus before you know it.

Jimmy Butler’s unbelievable rise to NBA stardom

If you watch sports for any amount of time, you’ll encounter at least a few Cinderella stories. Jimmy Butler’s rise to NBA stardom, however, sounds like something out of a Hollywood script.

At age 13, Butler’s mother kicked him out of the house; according to ESPN’s Chad Ford, she simply said, “I don’t like the look of you. You gotta go.” From there, the teenager started bouncing around, sleeping on friend’s couches whenever he could.

Eventually, Butler found a permeant home with Jordan Leslie and his parents; despite that stability, though, his basketball career didn’t take off. Without any big-time offers, the teenager headed to Tyler Junior College. He then transferred to Marquette and, refusing to ever give up, worked his way to stardom.

While his NBA career hasn’t been a walk in the park—Butler barely played as a rookie and developed somewhat of a reputation as a difficult teammate —he’s grown into quite the talent. He also, it seems, had a knack for business.

Building a coffee business inside the NBA bubble

On the court, Jimmy Butler possesses plenty of talent and an unbeatable work ethic. The Heat forward, however, also seems to possess some solid business instincts.

In order to finish the 2019-20 campaign, the NBA decided to relocate inside of a bubble; teams headed down to Walt Disney World and began to isolate themselves inside of the resort campus. While there are worse fates than living in a hotel for a few months, the situation does contain some new challenges.

One of those challenges, it seems, is getting a good cup of coffee. Butler brought his french press, along with some other gear, to Orlando and, in addition to getting his own caffeine fix, stumbled upon a bit of a side hustle. He opened up the Big Face Coffee shop, selling espresso drinks for $20 apiece.

Jimmy Butler is looking to take Big Face Coffee to the next level

It goes without saying that Jimmy Butler makes the vast majority of his money from playing basketball. In the future, however, coffee could make up a larger piece of the pie.

During a one-on-one interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Butler explained that he was honing his skills to open a coffee shop once his NBA career came to an end. It appears that his plan is now one step closer to reality.

The Heat forward recently filed a trademark application for “Big Face Coffee,” which is the name of his bubble-based coffee shop. While there’s no guarantee Butler will be granted the trademark, he’s taken his first step toward selling drinks and snacks to the masses.

With an estimated net worth of $25 million and a $140 million contract with the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler isn’t hurting for money. In the future, though, Big Face Coffee could become a major part of his financial portfolio.

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Senior Writer, Programmer

Joe Kozlowski

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he’s a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie.

Growing up loving Shaquille O’Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he’s continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives.

As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He’s barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe’s big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level.

Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.