15-year NBA veteran and father of five, Caron Butler teamed up with the NBPA Foundation who filmed a great piece of him and his son – JC, who happens to be one of the best high school basketball players in the country, as a sophomore! The video is part of their ongoing #EverydayDad campaign, which was launched to celebrate fathers and fatherhood.

The #EverydayDad series is a key initiative of the NBPA Foundation, launched to celebrate fathers and fatherhood and to provide inspiration for fans to celebrate their own relationships with their dads and their kids.

Overwhelmingly, the more than 450 men who play in the NBA attribute their success to the family members who sacrificed to get them where they are. But, no one really talks about them as fathers; that is, in the simple, human terms of dads who care. For those players who are dads, the emotions run deep. For more on the NBPA Foundation click here!

Caron and I got to chat about the work he is doing with the NBPA Foundation, balancing the role of father and coach and much more.

Art Eddy: Let’s first talk about the work you are doing with the NBPA Foundation. You have a fantastic video showcasing you as a father. How did the #EverydayDad campaign come to be?

Caron Butler: It was something that when you think about an everyday dad you think about what we are doing and what people have yet to see. In our profession you don’t see our family that much. You see our careers brought to life. You now see the behind the scenes of the everyday what it is like being a dad and doing both jobs. It is a job. It is a hard thing to do. I take a lot of pride in it. I am a man that grew up without a father. That was a void I felt. I felt it deep. It was something that I always wanted to do and embrace. I am just happy to be in this position where I have five healthy and beautiful kids and I am able to be the father that I have always dreamed of.

AE: In the video you talk about not having your dad. When you became a dad you wanted to make sure that you are always there for your kids. How did not having a father in your life make you become a great father to your kids? 

CB: I thought it gave me a real pulse on what it was like to not have access to a father or a male figure that I could look up to on a consistent basis. Once I was in that position to be able to be a dad I took full advantage of it. I wanted to do all these things with my kids. I wanted to inspire them. I wanted to leave a legacy. All these things meant the world to me. That is why I embraced this opportunity.

It was a hurtful feeling not having a dad growing up. It made me stronger. It was an educational experience. I knew what I exactly wanted to do once that opportunity came to me to be a father. I just accepted it with open arms. I am really enjoying it.

AE: I love the interaction between you and your son, JC in the video. How does he take to your advice on the basketball court? How do you balance that father dynamic with someone who played in the NBA?

CB: If my son is watching film or tape and he is being honest with himself then what I am telling him is exactly what he will see. I don’t over coach my kid. I don’t do anything like that. I just give him the tale of the tape. The one thing that I know is that I am 37 years old with unlimited experience in this game. I have a lot of milage in this game of basketball. He is 17. The one thing that I know that I have on him is that he can’t beat 37 years up.

I try to give him that knowledge from my perspective. I let him know that there are no shortcuts. I tell him that this is what I see. It is going to enhance him. He is only going to get better from it. He is only going to learn from it. He takes it in with open arms. He says that he learned a lot. He is good with constructive criticism. That is the biggest thing that I love about my son. He takes it in stride.

AE: You have both daughters and a son. Do you see any difference in how you raise your son to your daughters?

CB: The only difference that I would say and I am being truly honest because I am a sucker for my girls. I am lighter on him then them. I am hard as I can possibly on my girls. I want them to be the strongest women possible. With him I pump the brakes a lot. I know that he is in the shadow of myself being in the same profession that he wants to pursue in basketball. I am really delicate with him in that manner.

For my girls I am extremely tough on them. I want them to be ready for life. I want them to be the strongest they possibly can. That is the approach I took with them.

AE: What were some of the first few thoughts that popped into your mind when you found out you were going to be a dad for the first time?

CB: (Laughs.) Oh s#!t. (Both laugh.) That was the first thing that I thought. I am just being honest. That was the first thing that came to my mind. I was like oh man. Then I was excited. It wasn’t like those situations where I had to go to a local tavern and figure things out. I was excited about it. I could not wait. I didn’t want to share the news too soon. At the same time I couldn’t wait to tell everybody. It was a special moment for me. You are just excited to experience those first things. Being a father was one of them. Being a husband was one too.

Being on a big stage and hitting that game winning shot. The feeling you want to be in at that moment, I was ready for that moment. If the ball ever comes to me I am going to knock that shot down. That is just how I felt as a father. I wanted to be a dad so bad. I wanted to be a good father.

AE: What is the biggest difference from the time you were growing up to now as your kids are growing up?

CB: I think it just technology and social media. I think it makes a huge difference because they have access to a ton of information. We got to be gate keepers in our household and try to filter all that stuff out. They are exposed to so many different things. The schools they go to encourage them to lean at a rapid rate. We got to make sure that we will filter that stuff out.

It is a tough thing. You don’t want them to learn so many things that you haven’t discussed yet. I think that is the biggest difference from the time when I was growing up to now.

Life of Dad Quick Five

AE: What was your favorite children’s book you liked to read to your kids as they were growing up?

CB: They love anything like The Cat and the Hat stuff or Curious George. They are the stories that I used to get read to when I was young. My mom would read those stories to me.

AE: Favorite game to play as a family is….

CB: I would have to say Life. I love that game. It teaches them a lot about life and Monopoly as well. We love the game of Life. You sit down and plan on what you would do with this project or  what would you do in this situation. It teaches them life skills. If you have this money would you be pursing your education? If you had this would you go this way or that way. It is great for my 13 year old. My 17 year old would ask me, ‘Why is she buying that?’ I tell them that she should have not spent that much money. She won’t have anything if she needed it. So it instills the balance of life at an early age.

AE: Best dad joke you told your kids was….

CB: I am always right. (Both laugh.)

AE: Player you enjoy the most watching in the NBA is…

CB: I have a few, but I will have to say Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Those are my little   brothers right there. I love seeing them with their individual successes and then the team success with Kevin Durant and his team winning the Finals.

AE: In the history of the NBA which rivalry is the best in your opinion.

CB: They did a 30 For 30 about it right now. I would have to say the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers rivalry. It went back and forth years and years. I think that we are going to witness something like that right now with the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They split the championships. Golden State is two to one on them now. They are battling for who is the the best player. Is it LeBron or Durant? Going forward in the Eastern Conference it is like the LeBron James Invitational. So he is going to continue to be there. The Golden State Warriors are going to be there. We could witness these two teams battling it out for the next four to five years.

Check out Caron’s video below and follow him at @caronbutler (on Instagram) and @realtuffjuice (on Twitter).