Caron Butler recalls tricking Valanciunas: 'I was like, 'Oh, he is stupid as hell' / News - Basketnews.com

Former NBA Star Caron Butler revealed his funniest moment in the league, recalling the Raptors-Clippers game in 2013 when he stole the ball from Toronto rookie Jonas Valanciunas in the final seconds of a blowout loss.

Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images Credit Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

14-season NBA veteran and current assistant coach in Miami Heat -- Caron Butler -- recalled his funniest moment in the league on the Thanalysis podcast hosted by Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

Points this season

48%114,5Points made:114,5Accuracy:48,0%Place in standings:15Record max:138Record min:93Best scorer:Brandon IngramTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

As his most hilarious NBA episode, Butler chose the controversial steal from Toronto Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas during a regular-season game in 2013.

With mere seconds remaining in a blowout loss, Los Angeles Clippers forward Butler went up to Valanciunas with a congratulatory high-five. Just as Valanciunas dropped his guard, Butler quickly took the ball away and sprinted down the entire court.

"I can be honest now because I am so far moved from playing. I think I was averaging like 10.1 points per game. I'm like the fourth option on the team, and I'm looking at my stats, like damn, I gotta have a double-figure game," Butler remembered the background.

"We are playing in Toronto and there is a rookie. He had the ball at halfcourt to run the clock out. We are down by like 26 [27]. And s**t, he is dribbling, and the game is not over until it is over. So I put my hand out, give the high-five, 'Hey man, it was a good game.'

"He put his hand back out and I just snatched the ball," an NBA champ recalled. "I was like, 'Oh, he is stupid as hell.' So I took off, got a clear path foul, and got free buckets. I finished with like 11 points. That was my funniest moment. I was like, I'm really tripping out here. I am tripping. I was bugging."

Butler then said that he would have done the same thing if any other player had been there.

"It could have been to anybody," Butler said. "It just happened to be you. I had to get two more buckets. It just happened to be you, dog."

Butler, a two-time NBA All-Star, padded his stats to 12 points in 37 minutes and had his team lose by 25 (73-98).

Full Thanalysis podcast with Caron Butler:

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