Jimmy Butler‘s debut with the Miami Heat has been put off for a few more games.
Butler’s girlfriend gave birth to the couple’s child Wednesday night, coach Erik Spoelstra said, so the Heat’s high-profile offseason addition will not travel with the team on its two-game road trip to play the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
“Jimmy Butler is now a proud father to a baby daughter,” Spoelstra announced Friday. “We’re thrilled for him, and we’re really excited.”
Butler, 30, missed the Heat’s home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday to be there for the child’s birth. He was present in the morning for the game-day shootaround, then told the team around midafternoon that he wasn’t going to be able to play.
Spoelstra assured reporters that “everything’s fine” and said there was no reason for concern.
The four-time All-Star was a big offseason acquisition for the Heat this past summer, agreeing to a four-year, $142 million deal in a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.