Skip to content

Butler's cell phone froze after giving out number at press conference

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

The major takeaway from Jimmy Butler's introductory press conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves in June was that he willingly gave out his phone number to critics and skeptics who cared to reach out to him.

Well, they did, and they did so at an alarming rate.

"Once he got to the last digit, I could feel my hip vibrate," said Ifeanyi Koggu, Butler's close friend who handles his business phone, to Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins. "And it didn’t stop.

"There were too many coming in at the same time. Calls and texts, but also cameras popping up with Facetime requests. You could never get to the main screen."

Koggu took the phone to a Verizon Wireless in Westlake Village after the device froze, with the store telling him it received over 10,000 text messages, 700 calls, and 500 Facetimes in just seven hours.

At the very least, Butler was able to chat with a couple fans on Facetime during his private flight to Los Angeles before his phone went kaput.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox