Rasual Butler and his wife, Leah LaBelle, tragically passed away Wednesday morning in a single-car crash in Los Angeles. The NBA is a tight family and so even though he spent one of his 14 NBA seasons in Indianapolis with the Pacers, the franchise held a moment of silence to remember both of them Wednesday night.
Prior to tip-off between the Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies, Pacers public address announcer Jerry Baker asked for everyone in attendance at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to take a moment to remember Butler.
Butler was just 38.
During his pre-game media availability, Pacers head coach Nate McMillan, an assistant when Butler played for the franchise (2013-14), shared his thoughts. (Video via @Pacers):
Coach Nate McMillan shares his reaction to the news of the death of former Pacers player Rasual Butler: pic.twitter.com/JGKHh6DhPn
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 31, 2018