Caron Butler Rumors

In his 2015 biography, Caron Butler details his rise to NBA stardom from a childhood surrounded by gangs and violence in Racine, Wis., where he served nine months in jail because of a drug and weapons conviction and was raised by a single mother who worked as many as 80 hours a week. Butler said sharing his life story was therapeutic, and when he got the urge to write again, he wanted to reach a younger audience that might be living through the same type of adversity he managed to overcome.

This month, in collaboration with young adult author Justin A. Reynolds, Butler released “Shot Clock,” the first book in a fictional series about an AAU basketball team. Some of the characters and story lines are based loosely on Butler’s own upbringing, and others are derived from the lives of the kids he has met and mentored through the Butler Elite travel basketball program he established in Racine.

“As adults, we learn to deal with trauma, and it becomes very, very normal,” said Butler, who played five seasons with the Washington Wizards and won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 as part of his 14-year NBA career. “But what happens with that trauma with kids? I wanted to shine light on that.” Butler also wanted to tell an authentic story that kids would be drawn to. He said teachers thought he had a learning disability, when the truth was that the curriculum consisted of books he wasn’t interested in reading.

In “Shot Clock,” the main protagonist tries out for the AAU team shortly after his best friend is shot and killed by a police officer. He doesn’t make the cut, but the coach offers him a position as the team’s statistician because he’s good with numbers. The book is a story of hope and possibility, revealing the power of community and the many ways kids can find purpose and meaning in their lives. The coach character is largely based on Butler, who is entering his third season as an assistant with the Miami Heat.