Miami Heat Star Jimmy Butler Thrilled By the Arrival of Lionel Messi to the MLS

• Jimmy Butler has reacted to the arrival of Lionel Messi to the MLS
• The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has agreed to move to Inter Miami
• The Miami Heat head into Game 4 of the NBA Finals trailing the Denver Nuggets 2-1

Miami Heat star, Jimmy Butler has shared his excitement following the arrival of seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi to the Major League Soccer (MLS).

Messi announced his decision to move to the MLS after agreeing to join David Beckham's Inter Miami.

Butler, a six-time NBA All Star, believes the move will make the MLS more attractive as interest in the league grows.

"He's one of the greatest players to play that beautiful game," Butler told reporters on Thursday, as quoted by Reuters. "I'm so excited for the city of Miami, to be able to have a player of that calibre here.

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"Now that he is here, I think all the football/soccer fans from all over the world are going to come here and get an opportunity to watch him compete. I'm glad he is here."

The NBA star is friends to several football stars including Neymar Jr and Paul Pogba, but insists he is yet to make acquaintance with the Argentine.

"Will I reach out? Probably not," Butler said. "I know he has probably got a ton of stuff going on anyway ... I know we will link whenever he is here."

Meanwhile, Butler's Miami Heat are behind after Game Three in the NBA finals against the Denver Nuggets, as reported by BBC.

Butler reacts to Game 3 defeat

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that the Miami Heat fell to 1-2 in the 2023 NBA Finals after losing Game 3 109-94 to the Denver Nuggets in their first conference finals at home in nine years.

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The Heat had a rugged shooting night and were outmuscled by a hungry Nuggets team. Jimmy Butler was unhappy with his team's effort and energy.

As a team, the Heat shot 34-of-92 (37%) from the field and made 11 of their 35 three-point attempts. Interestingly, the Nuggets made only five three-pointers and managed to pull off a hard-fought win.