Feb. 04--More than an hour after sharing his thoughts about Jimmy Butler, Randall Hampton navigated the United Center hallways after a recent home game to find his interrogator again.
"Make sure to put in there that I'm proud of him too," Hampton said.
Of course, Hampton offered this after previously and laughingly revealing Butler went by the nickname of "J-Button" at Tyler (Texas) Junior College and that his former teammate talked incessantly when they landed together on campus in 2007.
"He was a hell of a point guard," a smiling Butler said of Hampton, returning the favor. "But he couldn't guard a soul, so we had to play zone."
Apparently, all is fair in friendship and fame.
Butler's rise from junior college player to 30th pick in the 2011 draft to All-Star has been one of the more remarkable stories of this NBA season. But it's no more remarkable than the coincidence that Hampton is one of Derrick Rose's oldest and best friends, a teammate of his at Simeon before Butler's in junior college.
Now, Hampton sits in a front-row end-zone seat just off the Bulls' bench at almost every home game, watching the transformation and still shaking his head while doing so.
"This is crazy," Hampton said. "To see him come from being skinny Jimmy Butler in junior college to Jimmy Butler the budding superstar for the Chicago Bulls is unbelievable. To say I played with him is great. It's an honor. But I'm super surprised. I always knew he was good. But I didn't know it would be like this, this fast."
Butler, in his fourth and breakout season, is equally amazed.
"It's unreal," he said. "You build relationships in basketball and never know where it's going to take you. But it took both of us to a great place in Chicago."
Neither could have imagined this scenario when they landed at Tyler, located roughly 200 miles north of where Butler will guard Rockets All-Star James Harden on Wednesday night in his typical role as Tom Thibodeau's indispensable two-way player.
In their one shared season together, Butler started at small forward and Hampton at point guard. Butler averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists to land a scholarship to Marquette.
"I didn't know he was that good until a couple of weeks into practice," Hampton said. "His one-dribble pull-up game was crazy. I used to tell him that all the time. Sometimes, he didn't think he was that good.
"When he first got to the Bulls, I used to wonder why he didn't shoot as much. I guess he had to wait his turn while Luol (Deng) was here. But he always put the work in."
Butler remembered Hampton constantly listening to Chamillionaire and memorizing the Houston-based rapper's lyrics. Butler's smile comes easily and often when describing Hampton's game.
"I liked Randall as my point guard," Butler said. "He ran the team well. And the majority of the time it was get the ball to me and let me do something with it.
"Nah, I'm kidding. He could make a play for himself. He shot the ball all right. He couldn't guard you. But he was a hell of a point guard and still one of my good friends to this day."
In fact, Butler stayed in touch with Hampton after Rose hired him to be Rose's personal assistant in 2008. Rose consistently has called Hampton an old soul, mature beyond his years.
During Butler's senior year at Marquette, Hampton came to a game in Milwaukee.
"I remember he said, 'It would be crazy if you end up in Chicago,' " Butler said. "I was like, 'Man, there's no chance.' I knew Chicago had a first-round pick and I was slotted early- to mid-second round. But I worked my tail off and ended up here. He called me and was like, 'I told you!' It was crazy. I just was like, 'I can't believe this. This is so wild.'
"But it just goes to show you what can happen if you work hard and believe and stay surrounded by friends."
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
Twitter @kcjhoop
