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Escaping A Cycle Of Crime, One Hoop At A Time

NPR
Published October 27, 2015 at 1:40 PM EDT
Caron Butler in June of 2011, when he played for the Dallas Mavericks, shooting around during practice prior to Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Butler now plays for the Sacramento Kings. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
Caron Butler in June of 2011, when he played for the Dallas Mavericks, shooting around during practice prior to Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Butler now plays for the Sacramento Kings. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

Tonight, the NBA opens its 2015-2016 season with Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls hosting LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tomorrow, small forward Caron Butler will begin his 14th season in the league, as the Sacramento Kings take on the Los Angeles Clippers.

As a child, Butler didn’t dream of becoming a professional basketball player. In fact, he didn’t have many hopes for his future at all. It’s a story he lays out in his new book, “Tuff Juice: My Journey from the Streets to the NBA.”

Butler told our colleagues at Only A Game about his story of escaping crime and poverty and how he’s trying to use his status to make a difference.

Guest

  • Caron Butler, NBA player with the Sacramento Kings and author of “Tuff Juice: My Journey from the Streets to the NBA.” He tweets @realtuffjuice.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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