When Jimmy Butler returned to FedExForum once again, the sight of the six championship banners hanging above the arena filled him with complicated emotions.
He still remembered that when he had first joined the Grizzlies, the dome of FedExForum had been completely bare.
There were no retired jerseys here, nor were there any honor banners.
Forget championship banners—even a single division championship banner was nowhere to be seen.
But what about now?
The honors displayed in FedExForum were the most in the entire league, aside from the home arenas of the two historic powerhouses, the Lakers and Celtics.
And Butler had contributed to three of those six championship banners.
When Butler entered the arena, he received cheers and applause from the Grizzlies fans.
That was not a common sight. Memphis fans did not easily cheer for players from other teams.
But Jimmy Butler was one of the exceptions.
Though he had left the Grizzlies many years ago, Butler received this kind of welcome every time he returned to FedExForum.
After all, he was a key contributor during the first three-peat. Who wouldn't love him?
Butler was deeply moved as he looked at the fans cheering for him.
What was the most precious thing a professional player could gain? A multimillion-dollar salary? A championship?
Those things were certainly valuable, but to Butler, they were not the most valuable.
The most precious thing was being loved by others.
Kobe and Jordan had been retired for so many years, yet fans still remembered them. That was the true ultimate achievement.
Butler was glad that, at the very least, he probably would not be forgotten by the fans in Memphis.
Beside Butler, Kendrick Nunn curiously looked around at the exaggerated sight of six championship banners.
"So this is FedExForum..." Nunn muttered as he looked