Jimmy Butler made a trip to China this offseason and had a memorable interaction with actor Jackie Chan in the process. After being traded from the Miami Heat to the Golden State Warriors midway through the 2024-25 NBA season, Butler and the Warriors were eliminated from the second round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While things might have gone differently if Stephen Curry hadn’t been injured, the Warriors have been facing a long offseason and have not made significant upgrades to their roster so far. However, their failure has not fazed Butler, who recently went on a trip to China to promote his signature shoe line.
Jimmy Butler Was Spotted Training With Jackie Chan Using a Wing Chun Wooden Dummy
Although most NBA players are sponsored by prominent footwear companies such as Nike or Adidas, there are also a few, such as Butler, who are signature athletes for Chinese footwear brands. Butler is sponsored by a company called Li-Ning and likely went to China in order to promote his brand and improve his relationship with his Chinese fanbase.
This is no real surprise to fans who are aware of Butler’s signature shoe line. However, not many could have predicted that the Golden State Warriors star would have the opportunity to meet Chan, a well-known martial artist and actor.
Footage of Chan teaching Butler how to train with a Wing Chun wooden dummy soon went viral on social media. This is a prominent training device utilized by legendary martial artists such as Bruce Lee as well as his teacher Ip Man.
Although it appears to be a vertical log with sticks protruding from it, the Wing Chun wooden dummy is used by martial artists who wish to perfect their craft without a training partner. Attacking it helps martial artists perfect their striking, blocking, and trapping. It significantly simulates human limbs.
Jimmy Butler getting martial arts lessons from Jackie Chan in Beijing 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/9N0YYYA6XX
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 5, 2025
While Butler did his best to replicate what Chan attempted to teach him, it was evident that he had no experience in this field. Moreover, the alarming size difference between Butler and the average Chinese martial artist made him simply too large to utilize the Wing Chun wooden dummy effectively.
Butler certainly seemed to have a memorable time learning something new, and Chan seemed more than happy to teach him a little bit about Chinese martial arts.
