ESPN Features Former Timberwolves Player For Oscar-Worthy Performance
Jimmy Butler earned an unofficial nomination for his Oscar-worthy performance against the Knicks.
The Oscars were Sunday night, and one Minnesota-native walked away with an award for his work. Pete Docter -- originally of Bloomington, MN -- was part of the team that won an Oscar for their work on the Disney/Pixar film Soul. It's his third Oscar win for an animated picture following awards for Up and Inside Out.
But Docter wasn't the only Minnesotan to be recognized for an Oscar-worthy performance. While not officially up for nomination by the Oscar committee, former Minnesota Timberwolves player Jimmy Butler earned a nod from ESPN for his performance on the court.
"These are all Oscar-worthy performances," joked ESPN on Facebook Sunday morning before the Oscars aired on TV. The caption accompanied a 3:10 long reel of various professional and college basketball and football athletes overperforming on the court or field, usually in an attempt to attract a foul. Jimmy Butler is one of those at the :30 mark. In a clip of a game against the New York Knicks, Butler can be seen on the ground on his back, hands over his face and rocking back and forth as if in pain. As the camera remains on him, he suddenly pulls his hands away and glances to the side as if checking to see if he's being watched, then goes back to covering his face in agony. The TV announcers, realizing what he's doing, begin joking, "I was about to say, please get up. He's just basking in the moment." Butler holds his face seconds longer before realizing no one's coming to help him and jumping back up to his feet.
Soul tells the story of a New York jazz pianist who suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife. It stars Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and Graham Norton and has an 8.1 out of 10 rating on IMDB.