Between rides to prepare for the NBA season, Caron Butler, the 6-foot-7, 228-pound all-star forward of the Dallas Mavericks, donates bikes--more than 2,500 so far--to inner-city kids.
So the bike-giveaway idea started with your 14-year-old cousin in your hometown of Racine, Wisconsin?
Yeah, it was probably six years ago, and my cousin Little Richard had his bike stolen off my grandma's porch on the south side of Racine. So she called the police and they came out and reported the theft, and they told us there was a real shortage of bicycles in the city, period.
And you thought you'd do something about that.
Over the last couple years we've given bikes out 400 to 500 at a time, to encourage kids to start riding for exercise, instead of the video games--that's something they love, video games. But we're also trying to get people on bikes as a means of transportation.
The first time [in 2005], I just went to the Walmart and gave fliers to 500 kids telling them to come to the Boys' Center and I had the truck dump the bikes in the street. Now we do a ride with the Racine Police Department. [To get a bike now] you gotta make a peace pledge, swear that you'll ride safely and be a pillar in the community.
Your own childhood was no picnic. You never knew your dad and were arrested 15 times on drug and weapons charges before you turned 15. I'm guessing you didn't have a bike back then?
I didn't have a bike; I didn't have a lot of things. But I tried to weather the storm the best that I could. So the feeling I get seeing kids on bicycles, riding through the neighborhood safely, saying thank you--I can't even describe it. It's something I'm going to do wherever I'm at.
When your cousin's theft occurred, had you been riding much?
That was one of my main methods of training. A year earlier, I had one of the best years of my career, and it was because of less wear and tear on my body. I've been really successful ever since I started riding.
How did you get into it?
By watching other people and asking about training. There were so many challenges out there. I'd go, "I wonder if I can do that bike trail, that's 20 miles, or that trail, that's 30." I like the challenge.
Give us a sense of the off-season rides you do now.
In Fairfax [County, Virginia] I'm usually on Route 50 going to Hoop Magic [a court complex] or down to Loudoun County and back. It's great exercise, I feel great afterward, and I got the whole family riding with me. I do that four times a week. But the ride I look forward to most is back home, from the drive-in in Kenosha 4.5 miles to Racine. I get to ride through my city and see a lot of people as I'm getting my work in. You know, you go through the history--it's like the stages of your life as you fly through the areas that you grew up in.
Last summer you rode with the Crown Prince of Denmark, promoting alternative transportation. What was that like?
It was unreal. It was my first time back to DC since the trade [from the Washington Wizards to the Mavericks in February]. He's really enthused about bikes, so we share the same passion, and we got to ride the streets of Washington and had a great time promoting cycling.
You described it as "parlaying." Can you translate for those of us not young enough to know what that means?
Yeah, parlaying. [Laughs] That just means chilling. Chilling and having a good time.
Making NBA money, are you tempted to keep buying bikes?
I only had four: three Cannondales, one Schwinn. And then the prince gave me 11 bikes. They dropped 'em off at my house--they just said, "Courtesy of the prince."
UPDATE: During a game on January 1, 2011, Butler ruptured his right patellar tendon and had surgery on the knee three days later. Turns out he’s already back on the bike.
What role will cycling play in your rehab?
I just started exercising on the stationary bike Monday. The doctors and physical therapists have me working hard, and I’m slowly feeling myself getting better every day. The recovery is going fast, and the work on the bike is great as I’m starting to get my strength back.
You’ve had a similar surgery before, on your other knee—was the bike a part of your comeback then?
I suffered that injury when I was much younger, and now that I’m in the NBA they definitely have me using all the top equipment and methods for recovery. I didn’t have all that back then, but I sprang back fast and was back on the court in about three and a half months, so I know I’ll be 100 percent soon.
Any chance we’ll see you on the court again this season?
The rehab is going really well. The normal timetable for recovery is about four to six months, and everything is moving right on schedule so that could put me back on the court for the NBA playoffs. I’m just continuing to push myself. That is all I can do.