The HEAT’s first-round draft pick Caron Butler comes to Miami with incessant determination and the fighting will to win. Deemed a star at his alma mater University of Connecticut, this hungry Husky brought with him a fresh and youthful element to the HEAT roster.

Ready for the challenge and up for the task, Butler, a native of Racine, WI, spent his summer in the gym, training hard and practicing constantly to take his game to the next level.

With basketball as his inspiration, Butler has even taken his passion for the game and for kids back to his hometown to help motivate children to persevere and go after their dreams. This past summer, on a short trip back home, he spent four days coaching a basketball camp for about 60 children, where he taught the fundamentals of basketball. He even concluded the weekend by inviting the whole neighborhood to a cookout at his place, hosting more than 400 relatives, old friends and community members.

Butler is a family man, and he says he will always make time for those close to him. With two children of his own, Camry, 7, and Caron Jr., 2, he and his fiancé Andriea enjoy spending time together and watching their kids play in the park. His kids already are proud of their NBA daddy. Following his draft selection, his daughter, watching on TV with the whole clan, exclaimed, “My Daddy is the best basketball player in the world!”

Gallery

Caron Butler Gallery

All-Star Rookie Challenge

And although he is a busy guy, Butler uses the minimal free time he has to read poetry, bowl, fish, golf and even roller skate. In fact, Butler, a self-proclaimed skating pro, even reminisced about his favorite skating rink back home, where he and his buddies would spend every Saturday night, and into the wee hours of the next morning, roller skating.

These days bring Butler little time for anything other than basketball, but with his all-star potential and striving ambition, there’s no telling where Butler’s professional basketball career will take him.

Favorites:
Movies: Scarface, Godfather Trilogy
Music: Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z
Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
NBA Role Models: Michael Jordan, Paul Pierce
Personal Hero: Caron’s mother, Maddie Padden, made a difference in his life, raising him as a single mother
Most Embarrassing Moment: During a lay-up line in high school practice, his pants fell down in front of his whole team
Nickname: Recently coined “Dazzle”
Pre-Game Tradition: Likes to pray and drink a Mountain Dew
Future Plans: To open and run a group home for kids when he finishes his NBA career