Kevin Hart says he’s “not shocked” at former Sixer Jimmy Butler’s success in Miami

© Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/TNS American comedian Kevin Hart arrives to the Hard Rock Stadium alongside his wife, Eniko Parrish, before the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, February 2, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The sigh Kevin Hart let out when asked about the Philadelphia 76ers meant one thing: it’s quite tough being a Sixers fan.

“I don’t think anybody that’s a Sixers fan is shocked that Jimmy Butler is the player that he is and is having the success that he’s having,” Hart told the Miami Herald, calling Butler an “alpha.” “Unfortunately I think the Sixers made a decision based off of where we saw our future going with our younger talent at the time, which was Ben Simmons.”

Hart, who interviewed DJ Khaled for the first taping of his podcast “Gold Minds with Kevin Hart” at the new SiriusXM studio on South Beach, expressed his excitement for Butler while lamenting the fact that the Sixers, who lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, underperformed.

“You’re seeing a coach, coach at the highest level, you’re seeing a leader lead at the highest level, you’re also seeing role players step up at the highest level,” Hart said of the Heat’s NBA Finals run, later adding he’s “got to take my hat off to ‘em. I feel like it hurts ‘cause the Sixers should definitely have been in there this year.”

Butler spent most of the 2018-19 season as a member of the Sixers before being traded to the Miami Heat in the offseason. In the four seasons since, the Heat have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and the NBA Finals twice while the Sixers have yet to advance past the second round. The six-time All-star is currently in the midst of a historic playoff run having just evened the NBA Finals series against the Denver Nuggets at 1-1.

The podcast, which started in 2021 as “Comedy Gold Minds,” has expanded in its second season to include guests from all sides of the entertainment and business world. In addition to DJ Khaled, Hart sat down with Anderson Cooper, Lena Waithe and Method Man. The goal, according to Hart, is for “Gold Minds” to become a “resource for others.”

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