SAN FRANCISCO – Coach Jimmy Butler was just about the only entertaining thing to come out of the Golden State Warriors' 138-87 shellacking of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Dressed in the same grey Warriors sweater and black pants as head coach Steve Kerr and his staff, with a clipboard in hand, the Dubs' recovering superstar brought some joy and bewilderment to the team's sideline as he adopted his coaching persona for the night.
“During the first time out, I’m walking by, and I’m going to ask (assistant) coach Frank (Vogel) a question, and then I see Jimmy, and I’m like, ‘What are you wearing?’” rookie Yaxel Lendeborg said. “I didn’t realize that all the coaches wore the same thing until today, which is weird because I see them every single day. It was kind of money to see the moment. And then, he was on the bench the whole time grabbing (De’Anthony Melton) by his jersey, talking about give the ball to Steph.”
“Give the ball to Steph,” was just about Coach Butler's main point of emphasis as he wrote in big blue ink on his clipboard, “Pass to Steph,” and brandished it for all of his teammates to see and internalize. As the adage goes, it's never a bad idea to get the ball into Stephen Curry's hands. And in Kerr's eyes, the actual head coach of the Warriors, he thought Butler did a bang-up job in his new, self-elected role.
“Pass to Steph”
Jimmy Butler with a message to the Warriors on the clipboard 😂 pic.twitter.com/FqjwGJycrm
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 10, 2026
“I thought he looked great. Really good-looking sweater,” Kerr said with a smile. “He was really acting the part, but I also realized he was mocking us, so it hurt a little bit.”
But while Kerr said Butler acted the part, others aren't sure Butler's tenure as a coach will last very long.
“I think he just got fired actually today, which is crazy,” Melton said with a grin on his face. “I'm happy about that.”
The emotional effect of ‘Coach' Jimmy Butler
Butler donning the coaching attire appears to be an audible by the injured superstar, one only a guy like Butler can do with his history of conducting lighthearted bits, as he continues to rehab the torn ACL in his right knee that he suffered earlier this year in January.
“I told Khalid (Robinson) one of these days we should have Jimmy dress up like us,” Kerr said. “He’s always got some great outfit on, something fashionable, and we wear our quarter zips and sweaters. I said we should really get him to dress like a coach one day. And then he walks out, and he’s dressed like us. I turned to Khalid. I said, ‘Did you tell him to do that?' He goes, ‘No, I swear.' So, it was mental telepathy or something — we were on the same page. He was enjoying himself immensely.”
But the ease with which Butler continues to ingratiate himself with his team, and his creativity in doing so, speaks to the strength of his presence around the Warriors. Mixed in between his jokes about passing the ball to Curry and his cosplay of Kerr, Butler provided his teammates real advice and real insight into the game, as he has been for a majority of the early regular season, sitting beside them on the bench.
Article Continues BelowFor the Lendeborg, it's a presence that's invaluable as the rookie looks to develop his game to the next level.
“For me especially, he always just gives me little tips and tricks on the court,” Lendeborg said. “Whether it's me trying to score, me getting in position to score, or just overall physicality, it's something that I've been able to learn from and implement it into my game as quickly as possible.”
“All that means a lot to me, and just overall for the team, he's always bringing high energy, making somebody laugh on the bench, just giving advice to somebody because he's been doing it at a high level for many, many years, you know. So it's obviously a guy that you want to listen to and know that he comes from a good place, even if it's like a joke or not. But he means business when he says what he says, regardless of how it's said.”
Butler and the Warriors are hoping that what he says won't have to be from him wearing the coaches' attire for much longer. Though the veteran superstar is still a ways off from making his return, it appears that his recovery is ramping up. Before both this game and the last game, Butler was seen in the aftermath of his pre-game workout dressed in a full Warriors uniform– the full blue and gold kit that the Dubs donned against the Pelicans and the full home whites they donned against the Orlando Magic.
What Butler will dress up as next, only he could know. But the hope is that it'll eventually be the same attire as Lendeborg and the rest of his teammates.