Teenage U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff received a bold offer from Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler last April, even before the NBA Playoffs started.
Gauff, ranked no. 6 in the world, is currently competing in French Open. She defeated Rebeka Masarova in the first round of the clay court Grand Slam tournament, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, on Tuesday, according to ESPN.
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Jimmy Butler Invited Coco Gauff to NBA Finals Before Playoffs Started
The 19-year-old tennis star used the Miami Heat's composure under pressure as an inspiration when she lost the first set to Masarova.
"Honestly, today, I told myself if Jimmy Butler didn't freak out when they were up 3-0 and all of a sudden it's 3-all, then I shouldn't freak out after losing the first set," Gauff said.
Gauff, a South Florida resident and a Heat fan, got offered by Butler tickets to the postseason in April. But the tennis star had tournaments in Madrid, Rome, and France coming up.
Jimmy Butler is averaging 28.5 PTS, 7.5 REB & 5.7 AST through 17 games this playoffs. He led the Heat to the first Finals appearance by an 8-seed since 1999.
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) May 30, 2023
He also told Coco Gauff that he would send her tickets to Miami's NBA Finals games before he even made the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/iHIOM14PjI
With Gauff busy for the near future, Butler responded, "Okay, when we make the Finals, let me know if your family wants some tickets."
This was before the Heat's first play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks, which they lost, according to Gauff.
They were pitted against the Chicago Bulls for a do-or-die game, in which they trailed with a few minutes left before pulling away for good.
"He pretty much said we were going to the Finals before [Miami] even qualified for the playoffs, and I just really like that mentality of him," the tennis star added.
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