Photo: Peter Baba

Max Strus opened up about the unusual friendship he developed with Jimmy Butler during their time together with the Miami Heat, including the middle-finger gesture that became their personal handshake.

According to Strus, Butler’s unpredictable personality and sense of humor were part of what made their relationship entertaining.

“He always has this sense of humor where he doesn’t like anybody. To some that’s off putting but I thought It was hilarious. This guy isn’t going to say hi to me today?

“He’s an interesting guy. One day he loves you, one day he doesn’t. One day I just walked up to him and was like ‘🖕’. He loved that.”

What started as a joke eventually became a regular greeting between the two teammates. Strus even made Butler a wooden middle finger as a farewell gift after leaving Miami.

Despite joking about Butler’s personality, Strus had nothing but praise for his former teammate as a basketball player.

“Jimmy’s the best. I love Jimmy. Probably one of, if not the best player I ever played with. His IQ for the game and the way he plays is everything I think a lot of people should be about.”