World number 6 women’s tennis player Coco Gauff is in Paris competing at the French Open in search of the first Grand Slam championship of her career.
When he’s not on the road, he makes his home in South Florida, home of his favorite NBA team, the Miami Heat.
On Monday, the Heat defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to clinch their berth to the NBA Finals.
During a press session Tuesday at Roland Garros, Guaff revealed that during the regular season, Heat star Jimmy Butler extended him an invitation to watch the Heat play in the Finals.
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Coco Gauff stands with Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat after defeating Rebecca Marino of Canada in their second round match at the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 23, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
Gauff noted that she informed Butler that she would be busy with tennis for most of the NBA playoffs.
«I said, ‘I won’t be here,'» Gauff said of his response to Butler. “’I’ll be in Madrid and then in Rome and then in France.’ And then he was like, ‘Okay, when we get to the finals, let me know if your family wants some tickets.’ So this was before we were in the playoffs.»
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Per Gauff’s schedule, Butler promised tickets to the Finals in April, before the Heat clinched a postseason berth.
«I was like, ‘Oh come on. Let’s go to the finals,'» Gauff continued. “So that’s my ‘Jimmy Butler story.’ He pretty much said we were going to the Finals before we even qualified for the playoffs, and I really like that mentality.»
Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler dribbles during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden May 29, 2023, Boston. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Miami entered last season’s playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. But the team finished with a 44-38 record this season and lost its first game to the Atlanta Hawks. After the Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls in their next play-in tournament matchup, he entered this year’s postseason as the eighth seed.
Since then, the Heat have eliminated the No. 1 seed Bucks, the No. 5 Knicks and the No. 2 Celtics from the playoffs. The Heat now play the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals, starting June 1.
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dunks against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals in 2023 at the TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA Today Sports)
Only one other No. 8 seed has advanced to the NBA championship round, the 1999 Knicks.
Although Butler and the Heat have now officially qualified for the Finals, it’s still unclear if Guaff will be able to watch a game. He won his first round match at the French Open. She is scheduled to face Austria’s Julia Grabher in the second round on Thursday.
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If Gauff advances to the French Open final, he will take Center Court on June 10. The Heat are scheduled to host Game 4 on June 9.