Former NBA Champion Reveals He Was Making USD 4000 a Week As a Drug Dealer At 12

Butler turned to drug dealing to earn extra money, and at times, he made upwards of USD 4000 a week. But basketball turned his life around. Here’s how.

By Natasha Bose

Published on Jul 22, 2024 | 05:01 PM IST | 54.8K

Former NBA Star Shares He Earned USD 4000 Weekly from Drug Dealing at Age 12

In this Article

Caron Butler shares his past as a 12-year-old drug dealer
Despite these challenges, Butler had a turning point

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to drug abuse.

Caron Butler built an impressive NBA career, earning two All-Star selections and securing an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. However, his early life painted a very different picture, one that hardly hinted at a future in professional basketball.

Growing up, Butler often found himself in trouble, primarily due to his involvement in drug dealing from the young age of 12. The former All-Star once revealed in his 2015 memoir, "Tuff Juice: My Journey from the Streets to the NBA," that he was making over $4000 a week through his illicit activities before he even hit his teenage years.

Caron Butler shares his past as a 12-year-old drug dealer

Before he could shine on the basketball court, Butler had to navigate life in the ghetto, contending with gangs and drug dealings. His childhood in Racine, Wisconsin, immersed him in harsh inner-city realities early on. This difficult environment led him to deal drugs, landing him in trouble with the law repeatedly.

By the time he was 15, Butler had been arrested 15 times, but the setbacks didn't deter him from his lucrative venture. He recalls how one of his uncle's friends introduced him to the drug trade. "One of my uncle’s homies gave me some shake down, some stuff that they bagged up and was just like the crumbs of what they had left," Butler detailed on an episode of The OGs.

"It was about a half ounce of drugs that was the shake-up, and I went to the street, and I came back, and I’ll just never forget the feeling of going out there and selling it, knowing that I wasn’t supposed to be out there doing it at the age of eleven-and-a-half, 12."

Butler described his nightly routine, "I’m out there at two, three in the morning, my mom working third shift so nobody was looking for me. I was just going back to the alley, going back to the garage, going back to the alley, going back to the garage, catching serves...I made about $800 that night...I was easily making $3000-4000 a week at 12."

Despite these challenges, Butler had a turning point

So, how did Caron Butler get into basketball? His turning point came during a stint in a juvenile detention center as a young teenager. Here, Butler fell in love with basketball, a passion that stayed with him beyond the detention walls. Within 11 months, clean and drug-free, he was excelling in Amateur Athletic Union leagues and at Racine Park High School, dominating his competition.

However, in January of 1998, Butler's future hung in the balance after a home invasion drug-bust. A sick, vomiting Butler was stunned when officers, led by Officer Rick Geller, burst in. Geller, holding a search warrant due to Butler's past, was convinced this was a straightforward arrest. But Butler, tears in his eyes and burns on his hands from working at Burger King, pleaded his innocence. "It was a false call and I was most definitely clean," He explained. Officer Rick Geller chose not to press charges.

Reflecting on the incident years later during a White House event, Officer Geller admitted, "I was gonna nail this kid." But the encounter took a different turn, and Butler's basketball dreams were preserved.

After impressing in high school and AAU basketball, he was drafted tenth overall by the Miami Heat in the 2002 NBA Draft. His career flourished with stints at the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played with Kobe Bryant, and later with the Washington Wizards, where he hit his career peaks and was twice named an NBA All-Star.

From 2010 to 2016, Butler played for several teams including the Dallas Mavericks, where he won his NBA title, the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, and finally, the Sacramento Kings.

In 2019, a tribute to his achievements and transformation, the city of Racine renamed 21st Street to Caron Butler Drive. Reflecting on his journey from a troubled youth to a celebrated athlete, Butler mused, "I made it," a nod to his days on those very streets where he once hustled to survive. What a story indeed!