Read Jimmy Butler's classy goodbye to the city of Chicago

A classy message from the Timberwolves' new star.

Author:
Ryan Donaldson
Publish date:
Jun 23, 2017 9:35 AM EDT

Jimmy Butler says so long to the city of Chicago in an emotional post on his Instagram account.

It's a harsh truth in the world of sports, but so often we write off player transactions as a "business decision" or "part of the business" and nothing more.

To Butler, it's clear from his Friday statement that there was an emotional attachment to the place he called home for the past six seasons.

Check out the post:

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Adam Mazur (36) delivers to the plate in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on June 4, 2024.

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Chicago, What can I say?! I truly struggle with the words because you've been so much more than just my home for the last 6 years, you've been my life! You've embraced me like a son and pushed me to get better every day, every season. I can honestly say that I have always been incredibly motivated to succeed; it's just the way I'm built. But I know I owe so much to the person I am now, and to the player that I've become, to you. You always pushed me to never give anything less than my absolute best night in, night out. That's what you expected. That's what you deserved. And, I hope you know that's what I dedicated my life to every time I walked into the facility or stepped on the floor of the United Center. Thank you to the entire Bulls organization and Reinsdorf Family for taking a chance on me in 2011 and for giving me the opportunity to play the sport I love for such a great franchise. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I was drafted and when I played my first minutes. It's an experience that I wouldn't have wanted with any other team and I'm so thankful to you for giving me that opportunity. Chicago, I love you. Thanks for embracing a kid from Tomball like one of your own. On to a new home and a new organization. Thankfully, with some familiar faces! PS... AND PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANT! THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY BEHIND THE ORGANIZATION THAT DO NOT GET THE SHINE THAT THEY DESERVE!! YALL ARE THE REAL ALL-STARS!! - Jimmy G. Buckets (@staceyking21 )
A post shared by Jimmy Butler (@jimmybutler) on Jun 23, 2017 at 11:01am PDT

The classy goodbye to Chicago will surely be followed by a warm welcome to Minneapolis, as the three time All-Star ingratiates himself with Timberwolves fans in the near future.

The 27-year-old Butler opens up a new chapter of his career with the Wolves' own pair of budding stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggings in 2017. The Wolves can only hope when Butler's career eventually comes to an end in Minnesota, he will have similar feelings toward our city as he had toward Chicago.