The Golden State Warriors got off to a tremendous start to the 2025-26 season with a 119-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers that saw Jimmy Butler pile up 31 points to lead Golden State to the victory.
Half of those points came from the free throw line, as Butler paraded to the charity stripe for 16 free throw attempts and made them all. After the game, Butler was asked about his perfect night from the line and what he wanted to shoot on free throws this season, and revealed a bet he had with Draymond Green.
“I got a bet with — I don’t think it’s a bad bet, but it’s kind of a bad bet — with Dray that I got to shoot a better percentage than number 30 on our team,” Butler said.
No. 30 on the Warriors would of course be Stephen Curry, a man who has hit 91.7% of his career free throws. Butler is no slouch from the line, but his 84.4% on free throws is still well back of the greatest shooter of all time. A 16-for-16 night is a very good start, but when asked about it, Curry (who went 8-for-8 from the line) was a bit stunned to learn Butler had made that bet and gave him “no chance” to beat him.
Butler, of course, thinks he can do it, noting he shot twice as many free throws as Curry did on Tuesday. However, more opportunities also means more chances to miss, and Butler is going to have to remain near-perfect to have a shot. For now, they both sit at 100%. That won’t last all season, but most would put their money on Steph to edge in front as the season wears on. Jimmy Butler is not most people, but it feels like Green took some advantage of Butler’s self-confidence for his personal gain here.
