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Who is Selena Gomez's rumored beau Jimmy Butler? Here's how homeless kid kicked out by parents became NBA star

'My whole life, people have doubted me. My mom did. People told me in high school I'm too short and not fast enough to play basketball. They didn't know my story'

‘Ice Cream’ singer Selena Gomez is rumored to have found a new love interest. The 28-year-old sensational star has been spotted out on a dinner date with Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler, as per reports and some eyewitness accounts on social media.

Earlier, rumors went rife about Gomez and Butler being together in mid-November. Now publications have been reporting that the two stars were spotted dining at an exquisite French bistro Lucien in the East Village in New York City this week. Eyewitnesses reportedly mentioned overhearing staff at the restaurant scrambling after they received a call that Selena would be coming in with the basketball star.

Daily Mail reported that an eyewitness sent a direct message to someone after confirming the pair was dining together. The message read, “Selena Gomez spotted w Jimmy Butler at Lucien. Seemed like a date.” The message continued, “100% sure they were there together obvi I can't speak to if it was ACTUALLY a date, but they were together.” As per the same publication, earlier one more user on Twitter who claims to have inside ties to the NBA wrote, “jimmy butler and Selena Gomez weird couple man.” The user mentioned his “sources” as “Dude just trust me,” which preceded the spotting of the two reported lovebirds at dinner.

As per publications, Gomez was previously dating ‘Baby’ singer Justin Bieber and then The Weeknd for over a year before splitting in 2017 post which she was briefly linked to Irish singer Niall Horan in 2019. Now that she has a reportedly new love interest, here's all about him.

Who is Jimmy Butler?

Jimmy Butler is a professional basketball player for Miami Heat. The 31-year-old star has won recognition garnering esteemed titles like being five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA Team honoree, and a four-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree to count as some of his greatest honors.In 2015, he was bestowed with the title of NBA’s Most Improved Player. Previously he has played for NBA teams like Minnesota Timberwolves, the Philadelphia 76ers and is now a shooting guard for the team the Miami Heat.

However, before this glorious career in the arena of sports, the Houston born star had a huge struggle. This came as Butler’s father abandoned him as an infant and he got separated from his mother at the age of 13 that brought in hardships in his life at an early age. However, the humble player once said in an interview that he doesn’t hold any grudges and still talks to his parents.

For years following the abandonment, Butler did not have a definite home and bounced from one friend’s home to another until his senior year in college. After that, the mother of one of his friends made him a part of her family that already had seven kids in it. “They accepted me into their family, and it wasn’t because of basketball,” said Butler about his friend Leslie's mother, Michelle Lambert, and her family who reportedly adopted him as their own son. “She was just very loving. She just did stuff like that. I couldn’t believe it.”

Butler earned recognition as a player in NBA with the support of his newfound family. He also garnered around $3 million from endorsements of brands like Aquahydrate, Beats By Dre, Bonobos, Five Four, Hyperice at the height of his career. Despite amassing such fame and fortune over the years, Butler has stayed grounded and has been involved in philanthropy. In the past, he has made charitable contributions and raised awareness about childhood hunger. In 2017, Butler got linked with the Bulls’ community partners and offered personal level mentorship to Chicago’s youth. With all such benevolent acts of service, Butler was honored with NBA Cares Community Assist Award in 2017.

Butler mentioned his rags to riches story and all that he has learned in life in an interview with ESPN in 2011. He said, "My whole life, people have doubted me. My mom did. People told me in high school I'm too short and not fast enough to play basketball. They didn't know my story. Because if they did, they'd know that anything is possible. Who would've thought that a small-town kid would become a halfway decent player in college and now has a chance to be drafted in the NBA? That's my chip. That's what motivates me. I know I can overcome anything if I just take everything one day [at a] time."