All The A-List Celebs Jimmy Butler Has Sparked Romance Rumors With
The media buzzes when a recently single celebrity begins dating another top-tier star, and that's especially true when their relationship bridges the worlds of entertainment, pop culture, and sports. For example, when Jimmy Butler's Miami Heat took on the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals, fans were interested in more than the power forward's on-court stats. Though Butler had not officially announced a split from his longtime partner, Kaitlin Nowak, Shakira fueled rumors of a possible romance with Butler when she showed up to Game 4 in Miami.
Shakira didn't deny the gossip. If anything, she encouraged it. Aside from following Butler on Instagram — which she still does — the "She Wolf" singer posted to her Instagram Stories with an acrostic in support of the Miami Heat team. "This is my acrostic for today: HEROIC, EXTRAORDINARY, AWESOME, TEAM," she wrote. Who knew the singer was such a big Miami Heat fan? Or maybe she was just a fan of Butler?
Because Shakira is one of the biggest stars in the world, it could have been intimidating for Butler to experience such a high level of media scrutiny. But this wasn't his first rodeo. Long before he was linked to Shakira, the power forward allegedly dated several other high-profile stars, from Miley Cyrus to Selena Gomez.
Shakira stepped out with Jimmy Butler
After Shakira attended a Miami Heat basketball game in May 2023, rumors surrounding her and Jimmy Butler intensified. In July, the two were spotted stepping out at the Novikov Restaurant & Bar in London. At the time, a Us Weekly source noted that Shakira and Butler enjoyed each other's company. "They've been getting progressively closer over the past several weeks. Jimmy makes Shakira smile, and she's really enjoying getting to know him on a deeper level," the insider dished. In what could be a jab at Shakira's ex, Gerard Piqué, they added that Butler was unlike other men she'd previously been with.
However, while the Heat's fanbase was rooting for Miami's hottest new couple, Butler insisted there wasn't anything romantic going on. "[Shakira is] an incredible human being and an incredible talent, but you never know what people are doing so people just make stuff up," he told Rolling Stone in October. "Just because we are friends, she lives in Miami ... that doesn't mean anybody's dating." Another theory? They may have been dating earlier in the year, but they've since called it quits.
Selena Gomez was open to seeing where things went with Jimmy Butler
Before (possibly) seeing Shakira, Jimmy Butler was dating influencer Kaitlin Nowak, with whom he shares a daughter. But before that, he was playing the field — or should we say court. In 2020, Butler was linked to Selena Gomez after the Miami Herald spotted the two grabbing dinner together. Apparently, it wasn't the first time they'd hung out. "[Selena is] keeping her options open but has been on a few dates with Jimmy and thinks he's a great guy," a source told E! News. "They hung out a few times while Selena was in New York City. ... It's very casual and she's open to seeing where things go, but isn't settling down just yet."
Butler may have had stronger feelings than Gomez, though. Supposedly, Gomez "ghosted" the NBA star and then added insult to injury by telling the Los Angeles Times that she was single. "For now [the dating speculation] is part of the job that I don't really like. I'm actually grateful that I'm not involved with anyone right now," she said.
Iggy Azalea liked Jimmy Butler's van
Around the time Selena Gomez was giving Jimmy Butler the cold shoulder, he was also spotted out and about with rapper Iggy Azalea. A picture of Butler "explaining his van" to Azalea went viral, sparking rumors that the pair were more than just friends. Per The Blast, the image in question was snapped while Azalea and Butler were on a date in Malibu, except that Azalea didn't think it was a date. "Can we please stop saying every man who is single you see me standing next to is someone I'm on a date with," she wrote on her Instagram Stories, adding that she and Butler were merely having a chance conversation.
The whole thing could also have been a cover-up for Butler, as he'd just caught heat for being inappropriate with Dwayne Wade's wife, Gabrielle Union, on Instagram. "Put well damn in caps on my [wife's] photo again, and you're gonna see what the good, the bad and the ugly is like," Wade told Butler. For what it's worth, Butler and Azalea haven't been spotted together on a solo outing since.
Was Jimmy Butler a 'Pretty Little Liars' fan?
The world looked much different in 2016: COVID-19 was still a far-off prospect, Jimmy Butler was playing for the Chicago Bulls, and the time was right for a love connection with "Pretty Little Liars" star Shay Mitchell. The internet exploded when the pair were spotted dining out together, especially since Butler had previously dubbed Mitchell his celebrity crush. "She's really, really good-looking," he gushed in a YouTube video posted in 2015.
In 2022, Page Six wrote that Mitchell appeared to come out as bisexual, but she had hinted she wasn't straight around the time she and Butler were first linked. "People were like, 'What are you?' I'm like, right now I'm dating a guy," she told Cosmopolitan. "I don't know what it's going to be in three years ... I could be 50 and dating a woman and then what? I said I was straight and now I'm not?" The actress has been dating fellow actor Matte Babel since 2017, and they share two children.
Jimmy Butler once had a 'big thing' for Miley Cyrus
Jimmy Butler doesn't have a 'type,' as evidenced by his varied taste in women. Apparently, he even had the hots for Hannah Montana as a collegiate athlete! Because Butler used to listen to Miley Cyrus in the locker room when he played college basketball, his teammates picked up on his crush. "He had a thing for Miley Cyrus, a big-time thing," Maurice Acker said, according to Essentially Sports.
The team also teased him for watching Disney Channel in his free time. Undeterred, Butler bought (and rocked) a Hannah Montana backpack around campus to really stick it to his haters. In 2013, Fanbuzz reported that the power forward attended Cyrus' B96 Summer Bash in 2013. However, it's unclear whether they met in person or if Butler simply admired Cyrus from afar. To date, he still looks to the "Party in the USA" singer for inspiration. "Honestly, I'm amazed that whatever [Butler] plays before the game, it gets him going. Sometimes it's Miley Cyrus, sometimes it's Justin Bieber, sometimes it's Rick Ross," his Miami Heat teammate Max Strus told ESPN. We bet Cyrus would be flattered.