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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. In his 14-year

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

(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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

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

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 Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Butler was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

with the La Salle Explorers, he was drafted in the second round of the

2002 NBA draft The 2002 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2002, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, ...

by the Heat. On January 31, 2018, Butler was behind the wheel when he and his girlfriend, Leah LaBelle, died in a single vehicle car crash in Los Angeles.

Early life

Butler was born as Felix Rasual Cheeseborough to parents Felix Cheeseborough and Cheryl Taylor. When he was aged eight, 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."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

street in an unsolved case. Taylor changed her son's name to Rasual Butler using her mother's

maiden name When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries and cultures that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" ...

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

College career

Butler played his college career with the La Salle Explorers. 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

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 Southwest Division of the ...

, Miami Heat,

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, 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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, and featured 13 players, most notably Eddie Jones, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey. 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 of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. 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

. 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, 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.

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 (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

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 to play in the

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3x3 basketball, 3-on-3 basketball league founded by the hip-hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former National Basketb ...

. During the season, he was traded to Power.

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 (NBA). The San Antonio Spurs were crowned the champions after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The first NBA draft und ...

Personal life

Butler had one adult daughter, Raven, who he lived with at the time of his death. He starred in

Trina Katrina Laverne Kearse (née Taylor; born December 3, 1974), is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles " Nann Nigga", " Shut Up", and " Take It to da House". In 2000, ...

'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 NBA Finals, championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named ...

and was seen in episodes of his television show '' Khloé & Lamar''.

Death

On January 31, 2018, Butler and his partner (initially misidentified as his wife), singer Leah LaBelle, were killed instantly in a high-speed car accident in the Studio City neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, after he lost control of his

Range Rover The Land Rover Range Rover, generally shortened to Range Rover, is a Sport utility vehicle, 4x4 Luxury car, luxury SUV produced by Land Rover, a marque and sub-brand of Jaguar Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors. The Range Rover line was launched ...

on Ventura Boulevard and crashed violently into a

strip mall A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...

parking lot. Autopsy reports showed traces of

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

oxycodone Oxycodone, sold under the brand name Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended-release form) among others, is a semi-synthetic opioid used medically for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and is 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. BAC is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume of blood. In US and many i ...

of 0.118%.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, 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 (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

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

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 74 , , 31.9 , , .433 , , .390 , , .782 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , .7 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , style="background:#cfecec;", 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 Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 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, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 50 , , 2 , , 7.6 , , .464 , , .419 , , .571 , , .8 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Washington , 70 , , 1 , , 20.1 , , .422 , , .387 , , .791 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , .3 , , 7.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 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 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, align="left" ,

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

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, align="left" ,

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

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, align="left" ,

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

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, align="left" ,

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

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, align="left" ,

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

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, align="left" , Washington , 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 sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen Alcohol-related deaths in California American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia 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