During the 2020 NBA bubble, we learned that Jimmy Butler was far more than a basketball player. Yes, he averaged 22.8 points and 6.5 rebounds, fell just short of a title, and gave us a performance that demanded respect throughout the playoffs. Butler wasn’t just winning games in the bubble, he was also starting a new business opportunity. By now, Big Face Coffee is a big part of Butler’s persona.
How Goran Dragic tricked Jimmy Butler into giving him free Big Face Coffee
Jimmy Butler was cheated out of his hard earned money
Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images
When the NBA players moved into hotels that would house them for the entirety of the bubble, Butler quickly realized that a good cup of coffee was hard to find. The coffee coming in packaged pods did not pique his interest, so he took matters into his own hands. The Heat star ordered the necessary equipment, and began making his own coffee. Once word spread around the Heat team that Butler’s room was the place to get a gourmet cup, he decided to take advantage of the moment, making Big Face Coffee his newest business venture.
Forget the five-dollar Starbucks coffee you complain about, Big Face Coffee was selling at a premium price of $20 a cup, and if you wanted two cups, it was $50, according to Heat teammate Bam Adebayo. While the math did not make sense, Butler wasn’t in the business of making sense; he was in the business of making coffee.
Despite the steep prices and the competition of Little Face Coffee founded by the Heat’s assistant athletic trainer, Brandon Gilliam, teammates would come back day-after-day for their daily pick-me-up. Butler says his most frequent customer was Goran Dragic, but that does not mean he was Butler’s best client. It turns out, Dragic is in debt to Butler, as he always seemed to slip away without paying.
In a new interview with GQ, Butler detailed how Gragic kept scoring a free cup. A little small talk here, a little back and forth there and before Butler knew it Dragic had walked out with his coffee and was on with his day.
So what truly ran Big Face Coffee out of business? Was it that the bubble came to an end, or was it the constant theft from Dragic? For now, the answer is unknown.
Butler has discussed the idea of opening up a coffee shop when he retires and he has even filed to trademark his business, but we hope to see Big Face Coffee make its return before then. Hopefully, later in the 2021 NBA season.
See More:
