NBA star Jimmy Butler is launching a tennis-inspired colorway for his signature sneaker

Basketball's biggest tennis fan has some new kicks. Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is launching a tennis-inpired colorway for his signature shoes.

Butler launched his sneaker with Chinese apparel-maker Li-Ning, the Li-Ning JB1, last year. The latest tennis ball-hued version is part of Butler's Li-Ning JB2 series, which is launching in conjunction with the 2023-24 NBA season. It features the "MIA" logo on the heel and Butler's personal logo on the tongue.

A frequent guest at the Miami Open, the shoe's launch comes after Butler's love for tennis fully blossomed at this year's US Open, where the NBA All-Star was an omnipresent presence on site at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

His week started with ballperson training, as he featured as part of the crew for the celebrity tennis exhibiton "Stars of the Open" during US Open Fan Week, and was spotted cheering on stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff for the duration of the first week of the main draw.

"Jimmy Butler, he's come to a couple of my matches," Gauff said at the time. "I still am like, 'Man, this guy is busy, why is he coming to watch me play?' It's a really cool experience. I'm just happy I guess and really honored."

He's since hit the court (the tennis court, that is) himself, joking on social media that he was ready to be the world No. 1.

Gauff also admitted to being inspired by Butler's never-quit mentality on the court—a trademark that was on display for the duration of her summer surge and title-winning run in New York, where she won four three-set matches.

"He has that mentality really of, you know, no matter what the odds are against him, he's gonna give it his all," she continued. "I think he's just one of those athletes [where] the mentality makes his game even better. You have people that are talented and don't have the mentality.

"I think he has the talent and the mentality. It's just taking him even further. ... Realistically, between two weeks or between Wimbledon and the next tournament I played, nothing could have really changed that much. It was really just the mental thing. I think that's what I learned from watching Jimmy compete over the years."