“Death is the end of life. However, it is not the end of any relationships.” Just like how the quote states, the relationship between Rasual Butler and his daughter didn’t end after he left.
She still lives each day, remembering all her father’s lessons, and follows her passion enthusiastically.
Furthermore, Rasual Butler was an American professional basketball athlete of the NBA. He has been playing professionally for 14 years after he was drafted in 2002 by the Miami Heat.
Likewise, one of the significant highlights of his career was winning the NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year in 2013.
Moreover, let’s learn in detail about the life of late NBA athlete Rasual Butler. We will be providing you with some of his quick facts first.
Rasual Butler | Quick Facts
| Full Name | Rasual Butler |
| Birth Date | May 23rd, 1979 |
| Death Date | January 31st, 2018 |
| Birth Place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nickname | Old Hat |
| Religion | Not Available |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | The Roman Catholic High School of Pennsylvania La Salle University |
| Horoscope | Gemini |
| Father’s Name | Felix Cheeseborough |
| Mother’s Name | Cheryl Taylor |
| Siblings | None |
| Height | 6’7” (2.01 m) |
| Weight | 215 lbs (98 kgs) |
| Build | Athletic |
| Shoe Size | Not Available |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Girlfriend | Leah LaBelle Vladowski |
| Past Lover | Malika Haqq |
| Children | Raven Butler |
| Profession | Professional Basketball Player |
| Draft | 2002 |
| League | NBA |
| Position | Small forward, Shooting guard |
| Former Teams | Miami Heat New Orleans Hornets Los Angeles Clippers Chicago Bulls Toronto Raptors Tulsa 66ers Indiana Pacers Washington Wizards San Antonio Spurs |
| Net Worth | $3 million |
| Awards and Achievements | NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year- 2013 2× First-team All-Atlantic 10-2001, 2002 Third-team Parade All-American- 1998 |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, Facebook |
| Last Update | June, 2022 |
Rasual Butler | Early Life, Family & Education
Late NBA athlete Rasual Butler was born on May 23rd, 1979, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Felix Cheeseborough and Cheryl Taylor.
Likewise, Rasual has a sister whose name is not revealed by him. His grandfather, Bobby Tomer, raised Butler.
Not much information regarding his parents is available. However, various sources claim that Butler’s father died due to a street fight in 1987.
Moreover, according to horoscopic charts, Butler’s birth date falls under the sun sign of Gemini.
People with Gemini as their sun sign is mostly known for their adaptable and intelligent traits. We can undoubtedly identify these traits in Butler throughout his life.
Age, Height, and Body Measurements
Furthermore, Butler was 38 years old before the accident that caused his death. He stood at the height of 6’7″ (2.01 m) and weighed around 215 lbs (98 kgs).
Education
As for education, Butler attended The Roman Catholic High School of Pennsylvania and was part of the school team.
His school average was four blocks, five assists, 26.7 points, and eight rebounds per game.
As for college, Butler decided to attend La Salle University to remain closer to his grandfather.
In college, he represented the college men’s basketball team called the La Salle Explorers.
Moreover, he had a successful college career by becoming the Explorers’ sixth athlete to record over 2,000 points. Likewise, Butler held the fourth rank in the La Salle Explorers All-Time Scorers.
Furthermore, Butler was part of the First Team All-Atlantic 10 for 2001 and 2002, and he also became part of the Verizon Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament.
In 2008, La Salle placed Butler in the La Salla Hall of Athletes.
Rasual Butler | Career and Profession
Moving on to Butler’s professional career, during the 2002 NBA draft, Miami Heat selected him along with the 53rd pick.
Butler represented Miami Heat from the year 2002 until 2005 and played 182 games with them.
Later, the Miami Heat traded Butler to the New Orleans Hornets. The trade is said to be the largest trade in the NBA’s history.
The exchange highlighted 13 players. With the Hornets, Rasual appeared in 293 games altogether.
Moreover, during season 2006-2007, Butler’s career-high record was 134 three-point shots.
Struggling Seasons for Butler
The Los Angeles Clippers recruited Butler on August 12th, 2009. He played 123 games with the Clippers with an average of 1.5 3P, 28.0 MPG, 9.6 PPG, 3.5 FG, and 1.5 3P.
Later, the Chicago Bulls signed him on March 3rd, 2011. Butler only played six games with the Bulls, and he joined a Spanish team called the CB Gran Canaria and signed a one-year contract with them.
However, Rasual never played any game representing them.
At the time, Butler struggled with his NBA form, but he did get a chance to join the Toronto Raptors. He officially joined the team on December 10th, 2011.
Rasual played in 34 games while representing the Raptors. The Raptors let go of Butler on March 23rd, 2012, with an average of 1.9 rebounds and 3.2 points.
Career Best Achievement
Moreover, Butler became part of the Tulsa 66ers on January 18th, 2013. He quickly improved his skills and won the 2013 Impact player of the Year honors.
The award was given to the player who joined the league team halfway in the season and significantly impacted his starting year.
Furthermore, Butler signed a one-year contract with the Indiana Pacers on September 27th, 2013.
He played 50 games with the Pacers, and while representing them, his average was 0.3 assists, 0.8 rebounds, and 2.7 points.
Before joining BIG3
Rasual joined the Washington Wizards on September 29th, 2014. He had a very successful preseason playing for the team.
Even after Bradley Beal fractured his wrist, Butler became part of the final team before the 2014-2015 season started.
He played impressively throughout each game under coach Randy Wittman, and his non-guaranteed contract deal worth $1.4 million became guaranteed after his performance.
During an interview, he stated-
“Obviously you’re excited… you’re pleased with it, you work hard to achieve your goal, first making it to the team and then striving to become one of the parts that contribute to the… team. So to be in this place now feels good. The effort that you put in signifies something. When you work hard and get results… it’s a delightful feeling.”
Moreover, on September 28th, 2015, Rasual signed joined the San Antonio Spurs and played games with them. He was let go by the Spurs on March 9th, 2016.
His average while representing the Spurs was 1.2 rebounds, 9.4 minutes, and 2.7 points.
Likewise, Butler joined the Minnesota Timberwolves on September 26th, 2016. However, he only played five preseason games with them.
BIG3 Career
Butler began his BIG3 career in 2017. BIG3 is a basketball league of 3-on-3 that was founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz.
He joined the BIG3 team Ball Hogs and was traded by the Hogs to another BIG3 team, Power, during the season.
Rasual Butler | Career Stats
Year | Team | GP | Min | Pts | FG% | 3pt% | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Spurs | 46 | 9.4 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
2014 | Wizards | 75 | 20.1 | 7.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
2013 | Pacers | 50 | 7.6 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
2011 | Raptors | 34 | 13.3 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
2010 | Bulls | 6 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
2010 | Clippers | 41 | 18.1 | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
2009 | Clippers | 82 | 33.0 | 11.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
2008 | Pelicans | 82 | 31.9 | 11.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
2007 | Pelicans | 51 | 17.2 | 4.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
2006 | Pelicans | 81 | 27.4 | 10.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
2005 | Pelicans | 79 | 23.7 | 8.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
2004 | Heat | 65 | 18.5 | 6.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
2003 | Heat | 45 | 15.0 | 6.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
2002 | Heat | 72 | 21.0 | 7.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
Career | 809 | 21.3 | 7.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
Other Media
Apart from basketball, Rasual has starred in a music video of the song Here We Go by Trina. Likewise, he is close friends with Lamar Odom, a fellow NBA Player.
Thus, he appeared on the episodes of a reality television show called Khloé & Lamar, a third spin-off of the famous show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Rasual Butler | Net Worth
Rasual has played for various renowned NBA teams, and throughout his career, he has earned a fair amount of salary.
While he was part of the Miami Heat, he had a salary ranging between $300k- $1.2 million.
Likewise, Butler had a salary ranging from$1.3 million- $3.6 million, and while representing the Los Angeles Clippers, his salary ranged from $2. million-$3.9 million.
Similarly, while representing the Toronto Raptors, his salary was around $1.2 million, and with the San Antonio Spurs, he earned $1.4 million.
Thus, Butler’s estimated earnings from his entire career sum up to $23 million.
Reportedly, Rasual Butler’s net worth during the time of his death was around $3 million.
Net Worth of Rasual Butler in Different Currencies
Here is the net worth of Rasual Butler in different currencies, including the cryptocurrency BitCoin.
| Currency | Net Worth |
| Euro | €2,525,891 |
| Pound Sterling | £2,157,885 |
| Australian Dollar | A$4,007,481 |
| Canadian Dollar | C$3,734,550 |
| Indian Rupee | ₹223,462,500 |
| BitCoin | ฿89 |
Rasual Butler | Death
Rasual and his long-time girlfriend passed away due to a car accident near Studio City on January 31st, 2018.
Reportedly, he lost control of his car and was crashed violently into the parking lot of Strip Mall.
According to the autopsy reports, Butler’s body contained traces of marijuana, oxycodone, and methamphetamine with a 0.118 blood alcohol content.
His girlfriend’s body also had traces of amphetamine and methamphetamine with a 0.144 blood alcohol content.
Moreover, Butler’s daughter held a joint memorial for both LaBella and Rasual, and the memorial service was streamed online.
Rasual Butler | Girlfriend
Malika Haqq
Rasual dated Malika Haqq, an American actress and reality TV contestant, from November 2010 until February 2011. Haqq is renowned for her role in the 2005 movie Sky High.
Leah LaBelle
Likewise, Rasual and Leah were in a long-term relationship of five years before they both passed away.
Leah LaBelle was an American singer who was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, she was raised in Seattle, Washington.
LaBella was renowned for becoming third in one of the seasons of American Idol.
Both of them continuously showed appreciation towards each other throughout their social media. Although Leah and Rasual were not married, Butler still considered and called LaBella his wife.
Rasual Butler | Daughter
Moreover, Rasual had a daughter from his previous relationship, whose name is Raven Butler.
Not much information is available as Butler kept most of his personal life out of public eyes.
At the time of his death, his daughter was a teenager.
Sweet Message to his Daughter Before Accident
Right before three days of Rasual’s death, he posted a lovely post about his daughter on his social media.
Reportedly, before Butler’s death, he accidentally face-timed his daughter around 10:30 p.m., and both of them chatted for a few moments.
As his usual self around his daughter, he shared some funny jokes, laughed, and told her that he loves her and will soon see her.
However, it was the last time that both of them talked. In an interview, Raven explained how at around 8 a.m., there was a knock on the door, and after answering, two police officers gave her the news about her father’s death. She stated-
“I sat there and cried… thought about…. he would do in this circumstance…. don’t remember much after that. I just sat on…. and felt numb.”
Raven explained how watching her dad inspired her to play basketball. However, Rasual never forced her with anything and asked her to go after her passion.
She currently interns for a music studio in Los Angeles, California, and often DJs.
Moreover, both the father and daughter have a matching tattoo on their hands. The tattoo contains both of their initials, ‘RR.’
Similarly, Rasual also had another tattoo representing himself and his daughter, printed across his rib cage and middle of his chest with a half-bird and half-man picture.
The bird represents his daughter and the man himself. It also contains words that define both of their heart’s beats as one.
Rasual Butler | Social Media Presence
Instagram– 36.4 thousand Followers
Twitter– 64.9 thousand Followers
Facebook– 100 thousand Followers
Some FAQs
What is the Relation Between Rasual and Dwyane Wade?
Rasual and Dwyane were former teammates and played together in Miami. After Rasual’s death wrote on Twitter: “The world just lost a great dude. RIP Rasual ‘Bop’ Butler!.
Are Rasual Butler and Khloe Kardashian Best friends?
Yes, Rasual and Khole were best friends for a long time.
At what age did Butler die?
Butler died at the age of 38.
Which team did Rasual last Played with?
Before death, Rasual played with the Ball Hogs Team.
