The 37-year-old forward is adamant that he will play in a G League game, becoming the most significant player in NBA history to play in a G League contest as part of a rehab stint, The Athletic’s Nick Friedell reported Friday.

“I’m going down to Santa Cruz to hoop,” Butler told Friedell.

Similar to when major league baseball players get injured and then ramp up with rehab assignments with their organization’s minor-league affiliate, Butler is looking to do the same with Golden State’s G League outfit, the Santa Cruz Warriors.

According to Friedell, this has never actually happened before. Normally, during the recovery and ramp-up process for return to play, the closest NBA stars get to the G League is participating in a practice or two, not actually play in a game.

This decision from Butler to play in a G League game isn’t something Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., will like, Friedell reported, but Dubs coach Steve Kerr seems thrilled by the idea.

“Oh, hell yeah,” Kerr told Friedell. “I love that. Jimmy told you that? I love that. It’s funny because I’ve always thought about that given my baseball fandom; you see these guys go to the minors all the time for a rehab stint and they get several games. It makes perfect sense, but I’ve never really seen a star player go to the G League.”

Butler was acquired near the 2025 trade deadline by the Warriors from the Miami Heat. In Jan. 2026, he suffered an ACL injury and has been recovering ever since. Friedell reported that there is still no timeline for his return to Golden State’s lineup, but it looks like he could be in Santa Cruz for at least one game at some point.