Jimmy Butler’s dream NBA playoffs run even includes Shakira dating rumors

Jimmy Butler’s dream NBA playoffs run even includes Shakira dating rumors

Jimmy Butler is focused on leading the Heat back to the NBA Finals, while others are caught up in a potential romance between him and Shakira.

NBA Twitter is buzzing about dating rumors involving the Heat star and the Colombian songstress ahead of Thursday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals between Miami and Boston.

Shakira, who has a home in Miami, was present for the Heat’s 128-102 Game 3 win on Sunday, when she took in the action from a private suite at Kaseya Center.

The 46-year-old Grammy-winner was seen cheering for the Heat in a video she shared on Twitter during the game.

Butler and Shakira then followed one another on Instagram after Game 3, according to Overtime, which reported that one of the singer’s sons, Milan, wore a No. 22 Butler jersey for Halloween.

Shakira and her longtime ex-boyfriend, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué, share 9-year-old Milan, and his brother, Sasha, 7.


Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Kaseya Center on May 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida.
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts during the second quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Kaseya Center on May 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Getty Images

Some believe the apparent follow exchange is significant as Shakira only follows 159 people on Instagram, while Butler’s follower count is 464.

It’s unclear if Shakira will be in attendance for Game 5 in Boston, where the Heat, with a 3-1 series lead, could clinch a spot in the finals.


Shakira at Billboard Latin Women In Music held at the Watsco Center on May 6, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The show airs on Sunday, May 7, 2023 on Telemundo.
Shakira at Billboard Latin Women In Music held at the Watsco Center on May 6, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The show airs on Sunday, May 7, 2023 on Telemundo. Billboard via Getty Images

Butler, who tends to keep his personal life private, reportedly has been dating model and influencer Kaitlin Nowak since 2019.

They share a daughter, Rylee Butler, born in October 2019.

Butler and Nowak were last spotted together publicly at Super Bowl LIV in 2020, when the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.


MIAMI, FL - MAY 19: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat goes to the basket during the game during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 19, 2023 at the Kaseya Center Arena in Miami, Florida.
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat goes to the basket during the game during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 19, 2023 at the Kaseya Center Arena in Miami, Florida. NBAE via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Shakira has been out and about after her split with Piqué — who went public with his new girlfriend, 23-year-old Clara Chia Marti, in January.

Shakira and Piqué, a former center back for FC Barcelona, announced their separation in June 2022 after 12 years together following allegations that Piqué cheated.

In August 2022, Piqué was photographed kissing Marti at the Summerfest Cerdanya festival in Catalonia.

Earlier this month, Shakira was linked to actor Tom Cruise after they were photographed together at the Miami Grand Prix.


Gerard Piqué and Shakira attend Davis Cup Final at Caja Magica on November 24, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.
Gerard Piqué and Shakira attend Davis Cup Final at Caja Magica on November 24, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. Europa Press via Getty Images
Shakira and Tom Cruise attend the 2023 Miami Formula One Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 7, 2023.
Shakira and Tom Cruise attend the 2023 Miami Formula One Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 7, 2023. AFP via Getty Images

A few days later, she was seen with Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton and a group of friends boarding a yacht outside her reported $20 million waterfront mansion in Miami.

Neither Butler, nor Shakira, has addressed the buzz publicly.